‘The Automat’ is a valentine to pie and nickel coffee
by Peter Rainer
Feb 15, 2022
2 minutes
Around Valentine’s Day, it’s customary for movie critics to cite their favorite romantic movies. But romance comes in many guises. In that spirit, I offer praise for the new documentary “The Automat,” which chronicles the history of Horn & Hardart, the beloved chain of retail stores and eateries featuring self-service vending machines that, at its height in the 1950s, fed an estimated 800,000 people a day.
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