The final jingle of change through the slot above the lion-head spout served a cup of coffee for eternity. Last week Horn & Hardart closed the nation's last surviving Automat, on New York City's 42nd Street, two blocks east of Grand Central station. First opened in 1912, the cafeterias served 400,000 customers a day at their peak in the early 1950s. Famous actresses, well-heeled businessmen and just plain folks plunked their coins into glass-and-chrome dispensers to feast on such fare as Boston baked beans, macaroni and cheese and coconut-custard pie.
In recent years, Automats fell victim to consumers' changing tastes. A...
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