automat
Nickels-for-food restaurant
An automat is a type of restaurant where food and drink are dispensed from coin-operated machines behind small glass doors.
The customer inserts coins, opens the door, and retrieves the item.
Popular in American cities from the early to mid-20th century, automats offered quick, inexpensive meals without waitstaff: We grabbed sandwiches at the automat between shows.
The word comes from the same root as automatic.
The format has largely disappeared, surviving mainly as nostalgia.
Activated by inserted currency
- dispenserDevice that releases portions
- compartmentEnclosed subdivision of space
- glass-doorTransparent panel entry
- nickelElement twenty-eight, or coin
slot · token · self-service · cafeteria-style · revolving · window · sandwich · pie
Self-service dining facility
- luncheonetteSmall informal eatery
- dinerCasual American eatery
- quick-serviceMinimal wait hospitality
- grab-and-goReady for quick departure
working-class · urban · midtown · commuter · affordable · no-frills
Halfway through a hundred
- bygoneOf earlier times
- chromeReflective metal coating
- ManhattanNYC's densest borough
- PhiladelphiaPennsylvania's largest metropolis
retro · Americana · postwar · streetcar · dime · memorabilia · defunct · vanished
Standalone public booth
- unmannedHaving no human aboard
- cashierlessLacking payment staff
- anonymousOf unknown origin
- efficientProductive without waste
quick · impersonal · modern · streamlined · democratic · egalitarian · privacy · independence
coin-operated
Activated by inserted currency
- dispenserDevice that releases portions
- compartmentEnclosed subdivision of space
- glass-doorTransparent panel entry
nickel · slot · token · self-service · cafeteria-style · revolving · window · sandwich · pie · coffee
cafeteria
Self-service dining facility
- luncheonetteSmall informal eatery
- dinerCasual American eatery
- quick-serviceMinimal wait hospitality
grab-and-go · working-class · urban · midtown · commuter · affordable · no-frills
mid-century
Halfway through a hundred
Philadelphia · retro · Americana · postwar · streetcar · dime · memorabilia · defunct · vanished
kiosk
Standalone public booth
- unmannedHaving no human aboard
- cashierlessLacking payment staff
- anonymousOf unknown origin
efficient · quick · impersonal · modern · streamlined · democratic · egalitarian · privacy · independence · grab-and-go
- eateriesrestaurant, diner, bistro, cafeteria, pizzeria
- food industryrestaurants, eateries, fast food, cafeterias, catering
- self-service diningcafeteria, buffet, food court, salad bar, hot bar
- Dining Historydiner, tavern, inn, pub, cafeteria
- Restaurant Historytavern, inn, coffeehouse, fine dining, diner culture
- coin-op machinesarcade machine, claw machine, jukebox, pinball, video poker
automatbistro
Informal small restaurant
brasserie · butler service · fine dining · steakhouse · trattoria
- automatic doorsEntrances operating without manual effort
- automatic transmissionSelf-changing vehicle gears
- automatic weaponsSelf-cycling firearms
- automatic pilotSelf-guiding navigation system
- automatic response
- automatic rifleSelf-reloading rapid-fire gun
automatic, automation, automatically, automaton, automaticity, automats, automatism, automatics, automatized