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b"Before McDonalds, there was the Horn & Hardart Automat - a chain restaurant featuring\\xa0 coin-operated glass windows, which opened its first branch in Philadelphia on 12th June, 1902. The business would grow to serve 800,000 people per day.\\n\\nCustomers exchanged nickels for dishes including meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and cherry pie. Beautifully designed with marble counters, stained glass, and chrome fixtures, the venues had an upscale ambiance, but catered mainly to working people, with a notable cult following among struggling artists.\\n\\nIn this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly explain how union pickets and fast food formats eventually caught up with the enterprise; consider the intense nostalgia still strongly felt by the chain\\u2019s former customers; and reveal how the whole concept was inspired by a visit to Berlin Zoo\\u2026\\n\\nFurther Reading:\\n\\u2022 \\u2018Meet Me at the Automat\\u2019 (Smithsonian Magazine, 2001): https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/meet-me-at-the-automat-47804151/\\n\\u2022 \\u2018The Automat: Birth of a Fast Food Nation\\u2019 (HISTORY, 2012): https://www.history.com/news/the-automat-birth-of-a-fast-food-nation\\n\\u2022 \\u2018Hitchcock's Monologue - The Problem With Automat Diners\\u2019 (CBS, 1958): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YE9euHvuhYU\\n\\nLove the show? Support us!\\xa0\\nJoin\\xa0 \\U0001f334CLUB RETROSPECTORS\\U0001f334to DITCH THE ADS and get an additional full-length episode each SUNDAY\\u2026\\xa0\\n\\n\\u2026 Plus, get weekly bonus bits, and unlock over 100 bits of extra content.\\xa0\\nJoin now with a free trial on Apple Podcasts or Patreon and support our show \\u2764\\ufe0f\\n\\n\\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices"