Automat
a type of self-service restaurant in which customers obtain food from small compartments by depositing the required number of coins in slots so that the doors can be opened.
Automat
American
[aw-tuh-mat]
/ ˈɔ təˌmæt /
Trademark.
automat
British
/ ˈɔːtəˌmæt /
noun
-
Also called: vending machine. a machine that automatically dispenses goods, such as cigarettes, when money is inserted
-
an area or room, sometimes having restaurant facilities, where food and other goods are supplied from vending machines
Explanation
An automat is a food-dispensing machine or a restaurant with many such machines. If you prefer getting your take-out without speaking to another human being, an automat is the place to go. The word automat has the same beginning as automatic, meaning "operating with minimal human intervention." Automats were quite popular in the early- to mid-1900s. These restaurants had fresh food selections, usually made on-site and displayed in glass compartments. Diners dropped a coin into a slot beside their chosen dish, turned a knob, and then lifted the glass door to take their food. The original term was automated cafeteria.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Apart from the tellingly-named ghost kitchens, fast-food companies, the successors of the original Automat, seem eager to find out.
From Salon ● Jan. 22, 2024
Although he conceived Automat Kitchen 15 years ago, it did not open until January 2021.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 8, 2022
In March, following weak sales, Automat Kitchen ended its lease and vacated the premises.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 8, 2022
Does the Automat represent an American ideal in some ways, with its democratic approach?
From New York Times ● Feb. 18, 2022
While Dasch and his team were busy shopping and meeting at the Horn & Hardart Automat, the FBI was examining the boxes of explosives and equipment the Coast Guard had discovered on Amagansett Beach.
From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple
In 1902, Horn & Hardart opened the first automat in Philadelphia.
From Salon ● Jan. 22, 2024
AP: In “Asteroid City,” you combined an interest in really disparate ideas — the ’50s theater of Sam Shepard with the automat.
From Seattle Times ● May 23, 2023
The late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, also a Brooklyn native, frequented an automat on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, whose food, prices and atmosphere she praised in the documentary.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 8, 2022
Reiner agreed to an interview, and introduced her to his friend, comedy partner and fellow automat devotee Brooks.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 21, 2022
Her minder automat sat in the corner asleep.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
