Philadelphia's Joseph Horn (1861–1941) and German-born, New Orleans-raised Frank Hardart (1850–1918) opened their first restaurant together in Philadelphia, on December 22, 1888. The small (11 x 17 foot) lunchroom at 39 South Thirteenth Street had no tables, only a counter with 15 stools. The location had housed the print shop of Dunlap & Claypoole, printers to George Washington and the American Congress.
By introducing Philadelphia to New Orleans-style coffee (blended with chicory), they made their tiny luncheonette a local attraction. Business flourished and they incorporated as the Horn & Hardart Baking Company in 1898.
Inspired by Automat Restaurants in Berlin, H & H opened the first automat in the U.S. on June 12, 1902, at 818 Chestnut St. It proved an immediate sensation. The Philadelphia Inquirer noted that Horn and Hardart had solved the city’s “rapid transit luncheon problem” of feeding people on the go.
Customers from all walks of life came for a variety of food choices and comparatively low cost. With breakfast, lunch, and dinner items in climate-controlled glass cases that could be quickly accessed, the Automat marked the rise of the fast food industry in the US. To maintain quality as the company grew, food preparation was moved to a central commissary at 202 S. 10th Street, where board members tested menu items daily.
Philadelphia’s Automats catered to specific crowds: stevedores, who worked irregular hours, preferred the 24 hour location at 234 Market Street; Jeweler’s Row merchants and Gimbel’s employees frequented 818 Chestnut; the 11th and Arch Automat “reserved” nightly a table for prostitutes; politicians and judges frequented 1508 Market Street. By 1932, the company had forty-six restaurants in Philadelphia, of which almost half contained Automats. Including the company’s New York locations (the first appearing in 1912), by 1940, Horn and Hardart was serving over 700,000 people a day in 157 restaurants.
Following World War II and mass migration to the suburbs, the popularity of Automats waned. Fast food chains such as McDonalds developed drive-thru windows that served the region’s growing car culture. Trying to capture suburban customers, Horn and Hardart opened retail stores and cafeterias in the suburbs. Competition and changing dining tastes as well as the company’s diversification, labor troubles, and expansion spelled trouble. In May 1969, the original Automat at 818 Chestnut Street closed and its interior donated to the National Museum of American History. In 1981, Horn and Hardart filed for bankruptcy.
Original Lunchroom in 1925 Chestnut St. automat 1903
1956 Original Chestnut St automat, 1963
Comments