About

Playing at:
Vogue Theatre, San Francisco
Landmark’s Albany Twin, Albany
Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center, San Rafael
Summerfield Cinemas, Santa Rosa

This is a gem! Before fast food, one American restaurant empire was unstoppable. This documentary recounts the lost history of the iconic restaurant chain Horn & Hardart, which served affordable-priced quality food to millions of New Yorkers and Philadelphians for more than a century. Founded by Joseph Horn and Frank Hardart in 1888, it revolutionized the nation’s restaurant scene with comfortable interiors, quality food, and state of the art technology for the early 20th century. The chain welcomed those who had been ignored, including immigrants, the working-class, Blacks, and women, all of whom were often not welcome in restaurants.

Experience the untold story of THE AUTOMAT, a documentary film directed by Lisa Hurwitz and starring Mel Brooks, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Colin Powell, Carl Reiner, Elliott Gould, Howard Schultz, the Horn & Hardart families and their dedicated former employees (among others), all sharing memories of life at the Automat.