Plot

Documentary centers on the vending machine popularized in the 20th century that offered fresh cooked meals in a commissary-style eatery.

A profile of one of the most iconic of American restaurant chains for the bulk of the twentieth century (1902 - 1991), despite it only have existed in Philadelphia and New York City, is presented, it known primarily by the company name Horn + Hardart in Philadelphia, and by the type of restaurant they were in New York City, namely automats, the concept derived from different but somewhat similar restaurants in Europe. The iconic nature includes the visuals of the single serving portions of food sold at nickel increments, each item, shown behind glass doors, purchased by inserting the required number of nickels (in the early days usually either one or two) which allowed the customer to open said door to retrieve the food item. Interviewees, including celebrities, historians, and people directly or indirectly associated with Horn + Hardart, speak fondly about the automat, their memories arguably widespread, the reason for its success in lasting as long as it did. The creation of the restaurant chain by its two founders, Joseph Horn and Frank Hardart, the reasons for its success in the first half of the century, the probable combination of reasons for the decline of the restaurants' popularity including of the concept of the automat from the 1960s onward, and the demise of the chain and what happened to the company itself are discussed.—Huggo

This 2021 American documentary was directed and produced by Lisa Hurwitz and written by Michael Levine. It is about the automat self-serve restaurants once operated by Horn and Hardart. It features an original song by Mel Brooks. The film premiered at the Telluride Film Festival on September 2, 2021. It was released in the United States on February 18, 2022, by A Slice of Pie Productions. Horn and Hardart, founded in 1888 by Joseph Horn and Frank Hardart, was noted for operating the first food service automats in Philadelphia and New York City. The restaurant chain was well known in the United States for serving food out of a vending machine for a nickel. The last New York Horn and Hardart Automat closed in April 1991.