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In the 1930s, ‘40s, and ‘50s Automats were a New York City dining staple, a modernist icon for a boundless, Machine-Age future. At their height there were over three dozen in the city, serving 800,000 people a day.

Created by Joseph Horn and Frank Hardart in Philadelphia in 1902, coin-operated Automats were lovingly-designed Art Deco temples to modern efficiency. Sleek steel-and-glass vending machine grids displayed sandwiches and main dishes as well as desserts and sides, each in their own little boxes, square and even, clean and well-lit. You put a coin in the slot, opened the door and removed your food—which was reportedly quite good, as the founders took terrific pride in their craft.You could see what you were getting. And you didn’t have to tip. Automats became a regular spot for journalists, actors and anyone who hadn’t the time to linger over a meal (many consider them the precursor of fast food joints). And their gee-whiz interactivity made them a huge hit with youngsters. The food was fresh, cheap and fast. And the coffee was reputed to be the best in town.

Due to the realities of cheap labor and expensive real estate, Automats were eventually reduced to a tourist novelty; the last one, at 200 East 42nd Street, closed in 1991. But this year, Automat lovers got a special gift in the form of Bamn! an “Automat”-style food shop on St. Mark’s Place in the East Village. Retro reminiscence for Machine-Age futurism and a naive obsession with shiny things in little boxes so loved by the Japanese pop aesthetic finds the perfect new-millennium union here in the gleaming steel vending machine mini-boxes and shiny candy-pink décor. Their motto: “Satisfaction is automatic!” Open 'til 3 am, Bamn! channels a bit of the ephemeral satisfaction—and definitely the fun—of the Automat in its heyday.

Bamn!
37 Saint Mark's Place
http://www.bamnfood.com/