automat

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.

In 1902, Horn & Hardart opened the first automat in Philadelphia.

From Salon • Jan. 22, 2024

In 1981, the Horn & Hardart Baking Company in Philadelphia filed for bankruptcy, while the New York Horn & Hardart Company began converting some of its automat locations into Burger Kings.

From Washington Post • Apr. 8, 2022

During the Great Depression, an automat was a warm haven where you could sit all day sipping coffee for a nickel.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 21, 2022

Though the first “automatic” restaurant appeared in Germany in the 1890s, Hurwitz traced the American phenom to Philadelphia restaurateurs Joseph Horn and Frank Hardart, who opened their first automat in that city in 1902.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 21, 2022

From breakfast at the automat they went to laundry at the laundromat.

From "From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler" by E.L. Konigsburg