Dining at the Automat -- 1902

[Hurricane Annie]

Mr Wilhelm. A very well thought discussion. You summed up the NZ situation well. From isolation, to contagation to vengeful mother nature. A disaster list that can happen all in one day here.

The ghost kitchen or shared kitchen concept  is available in NZ; for food trucks, catering and charity meals. It could work well for food automat amenities. Whether the automat be installed in a wall at a transport and rest hub or for takeaway and  mote restaurant booth  concepts.

Random thoughts out loud:

NZ has beautiful scenic spots in locations easy to access in or near the cities. Booths   or distanced picnic tables, with delivery services would work if plans were well developed. Drone or airship drop offs are an idea to be considered for more than food delivery in a pandemic, particularly with the NZ topography, if the government got on board with regulations. Food trucks are not as well utilised here as they could be. They are still mostly used for events, rather than as a mobile food  outlet on popular locations. There is positive potential in these industrial ideas

[RJBowman]

I found this article, where someone assembled all the Automat history they could find:

https://restaurant-ingthroughhistory.com/tag/automats/

And is says that there was a short-lived automat in Detroit, which I will have to research.

The article also describes all kinds of alternative automat technology, like dumbwaiters that rise from the center of your table, and little electric cars that deliver food.

[Lazaras]

Could the Automat make a comeback in Post COVID-19 times? I'm looking at what restaurants are having to do to admit patrons and it looks both, ridiculous and inherently dangerous.

Looking at the past two years of covid protocol it genuinely surprises me this hasn't been tried in any largescale manner. Especially in places such as japan.

Give it a retro aesthetic and make the diner portion thematic and or have a section of 'takeout' slides (behind a rolling security door at night mind you) and yo ucould even have food for folk on the go and have a floating set of howers between the sitdown portion of the place and the cash n carry portion.

Rather baffling really. You'd think a micro-diner like this would be popular, or at least attempted i na high profile capacity.

[MWBailey]

Could the Automat make a comeback in Post COVID-19 times? I'm looking at what restaurants are having to do to admit patrons and it looks both, ridiculous and inherently dangerous.

Looking at the past two years of covid protocol it genuinely surprises me this hasn't been tried in any largescale manner. Especially in places such as japan.

Give it a retro aesthetic and make the diner portion thematic and or have a section of 'takeout' slides (behind a rolling security door at night mind you) and yo ucould even have food for folk on the go and have a floating set of howers between the sitdown portion of the place and the cash n carry portion.

Rather baffling really. You'd think a micro-diner like this would be popular, or at least attempted i na high profile capacity.

Well, darn, I was just about to post this very idea. Well played, Mr. Lazaras

[J. Wilhelm]

SNIP...

...There is positive potential in these industrial ideas

I just noticed something...No one said the envelope of the airship has to be of a particular shape... Advertising comes by default on something as large as an airship...

"Telera"* loaf

*Typically Teleras are used for making sandwiches in Mexico, because the small baguettes called "bolillos" left over by the French tend to be too hard on the teeth when used for sandwiches (similar to Vietnamese Ban-Mi)

[MWBailey]

Hmmm... Mobile food courts/automats. I'm still kind of partial to the kind of food vendor who cooks it where you can see it, though. Oh, well...

[RJBowman]

Hmmm... Mobile food courts/automats. I'm still kind of partial to the kind of food vendor who cooks it where you can see it, though. Oh, well...

The kitchen used to be behind the glass windows where the food was displayed, so you could see it if you wanted to.

[RJBowman]

The automat has made the news again:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/futuristic-e2-80-98automat-e2-80-99-dining-thrived-a-century-ago-can-covid-revive-it/ar-AAVZFaj

[J. Wilhelm]

The automat has made the news again:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/futuristic-e2-80-98automat-e2-80-99-dining-thrived-a-century-ago-can-covid-revive-it/ar-AAVZFaj

Well, I know vending machines manufacturers are trying hard right now. I don't remember if we touched on this subject on this thread, but there's this company trying to market automated pizza making machines,which will make the pizza according to your chosen toppings. I can envision exterior food courts packed with similar vending machines.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=VkmQAZoKP9Y&feature=youtu.be#

On the other hand, I see the American people right now doing their best to return to normal people interior dining facilities. With current state mandates being dropped all over the US, I've seen people come back in droves *maskless* into restaurants. The new BA2 Omicron variant is starting to be dominant, but with, for example, 90% of the Texas population either previously exposed to Covid or vaccinated in some way, it's taking a bit longer for the next wave of Covid to start. But there's no doubt that by September there will be a a very different pattern.