They predate credit cards, and taught us how to budget, with less than a dollar, or far less. Lived 18 miles out on LI in 1943 to 1947, went to high school in Brooklyn; cross country practice up on Van Courtland ParK .Subway back down to mid town. Got off on on 42 nd. Horn and Hardet across from Grand Central with some teammates. Left one another,jogged to Penn Station to LIRR & home.Homework finished on the train, dinner over, thanks to Horn & Hardet. Still remember them at 83 years of age. Never ate alone there. Robert J. Boyle

I think it would really fly today!

You got off the trains below street level, walked out into the main concourse, then looked up and left to the largest illuminated sign in the city. Then you turned right and walked up two large flights of magnificent marble stairs. Out the doors and under the street-side canopy, you looked left down to the end of the block -- and there across the street was the Horn & Hardart Automat, quick and inexpensive and easy. I was a young teenager the first time I took the train into New York City by myself, arriving at Grand Central Station on 42nd Street at Sixth Avenue. I walked the same route that I had gone before several times with my parents; my dad worked for many years in the Esso offices at 51 West 51st Street, then moved to the main office of Standard Oil (NJ) at 30 Rockefeller Plaza. I went up and met him for lunch that day, but I don't remember if we ate at the Automat that one time in the spring of 1965. As a family we ate there more than once, on trips into the City for museum visits, shows, shopping or other occasions. Things come and go, but memories should be passed on.

I love the reminiscences. In London, England when I was a working musician in the West End, Lyons Corner House was a favorite eaterie. You could also almost get employment there, washing pots and pans,for Joe Lyons,to help you with your rent etc. and sometimes it was preferible to busking in the street. Now living in Canada and visiting the U.S.A. quite frequently my favorite eaterie is the Golden Corral in Marysville W.A.

Beautiful memories with my mother on Labor Day weekend 1948. The day started with a boat ride down the Deleware River to Riverview Beach in New Jersey. Upon returning to Philly my mother and I had dinner at the H&H at 9th and Market. I was 14 at the time with a handful of nickels and could not wait to insert my nickel for the best hot chocolate in the world. I was so excited that I forgot to put the cup under the lions head! I remember my mother smiling at me as she handed me another nickel. I'm 77 years old now, and memories of so many happy times with my mother at H&H are treasured. I also recall taking my wife there in 1960. She was an "upstater", and sadly had never experienced the wonderful H&H.

I was born in Phila. pA in 1940. We use to eat at Horn Hardart. I always remember eating hamburger steak, carrots, harvard beets and mash potatoes. as a kid it was my favorite meal. How did they make the carrots?

I have seen new automats in Spain last year (november 2011. I have seen them in Marbella. They are from a company called Braimex. I checked out the website and they are manufactures of these hot food vending machines. The restaurant where they are installed is called The Food Company. So the automat is still alive!

I was in the Army Reserve and sent to Germany in 1990, I recall eating in a restaurant there that had a H&H wall of glass slots, I was in serveral cities and I think it was in Berlin. Worked in NYC in 60's, the H&H 42nd st and 8th ave, had a section for Women and children only.

i was born in the bronx,but we moved to michigan. for years when we would travel back to visit, my uncle clarence, who worked at H&H, would always bring me cheesecake. wonderful, yummy cheesecake. when i became an adult, my mom would fly there and always brought a cheesecake home, hand delivered on the airplane. does anyone know who or what company made them. i have been trying for years to get an authentic new york cheewecake or the recipe. phooey to these refrigerated make believes.

Summer of '65; I was 15 going on 16 and wanted to work. There weren't a lot of opportunities in my part of Jersey, so I spent the summer with my grandmother who lived on East 12th Street in Brooklyn. I looked older, so when I applied for a job at a cashier at Big Apple by Kings Highway and told them I was 18, nobody asked me for proof and I got the job. There was an automat within close proximity, and I often ate there, because the food was good, cheap, and I was saving my money. I especially loved the mac 'n cheese. When the fall came, I had to tell them I was going back to school in Jersey.

I only vaguely remember the Horn and Hardart located at Cottman Avenue and Large Street in Northeast Phila. There was a gang which had some members affiliated with my grade school, Our Lady of Ransom. They used to call themselves the H&H gang. I used to see the H&H logo carved into the bathroom walls etc. or on the outside walls at Solis-Cohen elementary school. Yet, it was at Solis-Cohen where I first seen and heard of the gang. I think most of the gang was catholic, but some went to public school. I never tried to find out what the symbol meant, but it was my mother years later who told me that they used to hang out in front of the Horn and Hardart’s. When I was very young one of the gang members lived up the street from me. I remember his last name being Murray and he was a red head. He took a protective liking to me. Not having an older brother was often a handicap when living in the city. He used to smoke and he told me he never wanted to see me smoking for it was bad for me. It was a threat, but being so much younger I knew he would not really hurt me. One day in the winter when I was probably in the 5th grade or so I pretended I was smoking by inhaling on a candy cigarette stick. The cold air turned my breath into a fog and I wanted to see what he would do. Just like a protective brother, he crossed the street while yelling at me for smoking and just before he went to remove the candy stick I showed him I was joking with a bit of nervous laughter. Yet, after that surprising act of kindness I did not have the heart to pull another such stunt on him. One time when I was walking by the gang while they were hanging out at Solis-Cohen they were are huddled around looking at some playing cards which I found out had some sex scenes or the like on the other side. He again steered me away from that pollution. I never knew what happened to the gang, but like Murray there were some not so bad eggs. Anyway, that is my connection to the H&H memories.

JUST AFTER THE WAR STARTED IN 1941 MY FATHER WHO WAS IN THE MARINE CORPS WAS SENT OVER SEAS, WE WERE LIVING IN AN APT HOUSE ON VINE ST. TO MAKE EXTRA MONEY I BUILT A SMALL SHOE SHINE KIT FROM AN OLD ORANGE CRATE I TOOK FROM ONE OF THE "AMERICAN STORES" DOWN THE STREET..I SET MYSELF UP IN FRONT OF H&H ON BROAD STEET IN PHILLY. I WOULD GUESS I WAS 8 OR 9 YEARS OLD.. I HAD BLACK AND BROWN POLISH ONLY, COULDN'T AFFORD ANY MORE, GOT AN OLD SHIRT AND RIPPED IT IN PIECES AND USED IT AS A SHINE RAG, I CHARGED 10 PER SHINE, MADE ABOUT $1.OO PER DAY, THAT WAS GOOD...WHEN I GOT COLD I RECALL THAT IN FRONT OF H&H WAS A LARGE WIDE GRATE WITH THE STEAM COMING UP, , I THINK FROM THE SUBWAY, I WOULD STAND ON THE GRATE TO GET WARM OFTEN TIMES IF I LOOKED CLOSELY DOWN INTO THE BOTTOM OF THE GRATE (MAYBE 15 FT.) AND SPOTED A COIN, I HAD A VERY LONG STRING WITH A BOLT ON THE END FOR WEIGHT, I TOOK THE GUM FROM MY MOUTH AND STUCK IT ON THE END OF THE BOLT, I THEN TOOK A MATCH FROM MY POCKET, LITE IT AND WARMED UP THE WAD OF GUM UNTIL IT BECAME STICKY,I THEN DROPPED IT INTO THE GRATE AND LOWERED IT ONTOP OF THE COIN, IT STUCK TO THE COIN AND I PULLED IT UP, I GOT VERY GOOD AT THIS AFTER A WHILE, ONE TIME I WAS SO EXCITED BECAUSE I RETRIEVED A 50 CENT PIECE..ANYWAY I WOULD GO INTO H&H AND BUY A HOT CUP OF COCOA I THINK FOR A NICKEL, IT WAS SO GOOD. SO MANY MEMORIES, I SHINED A LOT OF SAILORS SHOES IN THE FRONT OF HORN AND HARDARTS. LOVED THAT PLACE. WELL EVENTUALLY MY FATHER CAME HOME SAFE (4TH. MARINE DIVISION) AND HE WAS TRANSFERRED TO TIBURON CALIF. HERE WE REMAINED . I CAN STILL CLOSE MY EYES AND SMELL THE SMELL.

I, too, grew up in the Bronx in the 1950's and like so many others have written, it was always such a thrill to ride the subway to the city and dine at Horn and Hardart after shopping on 34th Street! My Mom and Aunt, sister and I would shop at Macy's and of course my favorite at the time, Woolworths and then came the fun of the Automat! Still remember ordering the mashed potatoes, creamed spinach and creamed corn! All starches, my Mom would say, shaking her head but she let me order it from the ladies wearing the little white lace aprons. How grown up my sister and I felt when we put our money into the hot chocolate machine and watched as it poured out the worlds best tasting hot chocolate, especially to two girls who hardly ever got any because we were allergic! What a treat! We would be on our best behavior there, feeling like we were movie stars in New York City! Ah, youth! Loved putting those nickels into the little slots and getting that delicious apple pie or a pumpkin pie. Their butter cookies were out of this world too and two came on the plate, perfect for my sister and I! I was able to take my son to the last one in the city the year it closed so he could experience the Automat for himself and he loved it too. Four generations managed to love that place. We will never forget it. I managed to buy two forks when they were going out of business, something I will always treasure.

The O'Shaughnessy all eat at h&h at k and a. I remember My mother took us in a cab from Memphis and lehigh sts on friday nights for fish cake platter and a coke. it was about 35 cents at H $ H.but boy was that good. now you could get killed at k and a.

I, too, remember vividly the cafeteria and automat in Philadelphia. My mom and I would take the train into Reading Terminal from North Wales PA and head straight to H&H for breakfast. Then we would shop and return for lunch. I always got spaghetti, harvard beets and creamed spinach. That was some combination, but my mother didn't object. It was wonderful. This was in the mid-late 1940s. I was 5,6,7,8 years old. Oh, how I miss those days.

My 95-year-old neighbor Harold Cromer was a supervisor at the H&H commissary in New York City for nearly half a century. He remembers the building covering about a city block, located on 11th Ave. and 49th St., right next to the Hudson River. He tells me this location was not an automat, but rather the site where all the food was prepared for delivery to the automats. Does anyone know exactly where this building was and what happened to it after all the automats were closed? Was the building torn down? Harold would love to know! Please send your answer to my email address: elmiraglch@aol.com

Thanks so much for replying!

I am now almost 86 yrs. old. I as my fatherand mother grew up in Phila. No one knows more about H&H better than I, nobody , as I was there since 1927 every wed. and sun. There were highchairs for children and the best food. I had an older sister and a younger brother (1930) and throughout the depression it was like a ritual. My mother worked at the famous womens" store Blauners, so I knew downtown and the restaurants on 60th and Mkt. and 69th and Mkt. Sts. But this is the capper, in or about 1958, I opened a restaurant called Freddy's at 21st and Chestnut in the basement of an apartment bldg.I searched for a theme and in my wildest quest of a lifetime I found a man who had tables and chairs from H&H! They were so heavy (brass base, I think and the tops were of a base rubber, I just never knew. My partner had most of the money and he sold the restaurant under my nose. Did I tell you this restaurant had tiffany lampshades from the same seller? I am in Calif now and have never visited my dream rathskeller again, is it still there? Oh how I miss those days. Ciao, Freddy Baby

Do I EVER miss the H&H of yore! Having grown up in Philly in the late-40s & 50s, I have often found myself dreaming of their scrumptious beef and chicken pot pie, buffet- style vegis and absolutely the BEST cup of coffee I have ever had in the USA! When I grew up and began performing as a professional musician, I patronized the automat on Broad Street just across from the Academy of Music ... that is, until I moved to Europe and partook of some equally satisfying cuisine. Here it is so many years later, and what I wouldn't give to return to Philly on a day ... say in 1950 and have lunch at H&H. Dream on, MacDuff ... dream on.

All these decades later and people still miss H&H...no wonder, it was very good value for the $. It's also intriguing that NYers and Philadelphians have a shared memory from eating identical food!

I grew up in Flushing, Queens where a H&H was located at Northern & Parsons Blvds, about a 1/2 mile east of the shopping hub and about the same distance from home. IIRC it was a full service restaurant. This was the very 1st restaurant I remember going to- I felt very grownup whenever we went there. Much like banks and RR stations from an earlier era, its facade suggested an elegant dining experience for the masses.

This H&H also had a retail store/area where we could take home simple pleasures like spaghetti, codfish cakes, and other favorites-Huckleberry pie, frosted cupcakes with sprinkles on top w/o filling(!), and chocolate candy you could break up unsurprisingly called, "Break-Up". Downtown, a local meat co., Trunz, also carried many of the H&H take-home goodies.

Many reasons detailed elsewhere led to H&H's insolvency and demise, we didn't think we'd miss it much until we did. The Flushing site was subdivided into a union office, a flooring/carpet store and a bank c. 1975

P.S.: In 1989 I was in Philly for the 1st time in a decade, and I discovered a grocery in Rittenhouse Sq. that carried pies & other H&H items-the store mgr. said the co., still operational,had moved to Bensalem. I later learned that H&H despite msny forays into food operations as franchisee or licensee was concentrating on their core mail order business as "Hanover Direct". (like a Fingerhut)

Sadly, every new H&H incarnation ("Dine-O-Mat", "Coffee Co.") seems to quickly fade in vain efforts to relive past glories. Over time, most of the old H&H signage and other vestiges have also vanished, although at the Upper Darby building and other scattered locations some indicia, along with our fond memories, still remain.

Well this is how i first learned about H&H. Me and my two kids went for a walk in our woods behind our house spent about 2 hours back there and on our way back to the house my 2yr old picked up an old dirty can and brought it over to me and low and be hold it was a H&H Automat coffee can I would love to be able to date the can well that's my H&H story

Wow, I found an old photo of a partial wall of windows at the old H&H Automat in my local paper. I cut it out of the paper, copied it to send to my children. I told them about my childhood experiences at the H&H Automats in New York City as a child, now they could see a photo of the images I painted for them, in real time.
The photo brought me back to a time some 65 years ago, when my wonderful father would take me to his Millinery Showroom on 57th Street in New York City on occasional Saturdays. Afterwards my special treat was to walk hand in hand with him down 57th street to the H&H Automat. At the entrance was a man( or lady?) in a marble booth whose job it was to make dollar bills turn into change. Dad would scooop a handful of nickels into my waiting open palms . He would let me decide what I wanted and then lift me up to the window I chose so I could put the nickles into the slot, wait fot the food behind the litle glass door with a tiny silver handle on a pedestal tray revolve around so I could then take it fron the glass window that would pop open.. I loved those treats,little chocolate and orange iced fluted inverted cupcakes, a glass of cold milk.
I sitll remember the taste of the creamed spinach, mac and cheese, beets, mashed potatoes, and oh those baked beans.
As I recall, several years later there were H&H retail stores that sold H&H foods in take home contianers on Fordham road in the wonderful Bronx I grew up in.
What hpeend to them and why cnat they be brought back to life again..good wholesome foods...
Remeber the elaborate silver coffee urns shaped like animal heads(lions or tigers??) where the steaming hot coffee would pour out of the open mouths of those silver animal heads mouths into thick, heavy porcelain coffee cups and saucers. Days gone by never to come again...Awt least we havew the memoires...It is fun to see that others of my contemporaries do also. ENJOY!

I knew I couldn't be the only kid who was overwhelmed with H & H.
Mom and Aunt Jennie would "doll" me up, we'd get on a bus in Prospect Park to Paterson, NJ, where we'd take another bus into Manhattan. After walking thru Woolworth and spending at least a quarter on a souvenir, we'd have lunch at H&H. What a thrill! My own coins, my own selection. Many times it was so crowded, we had to share a table and how pleasant that would be! Afterward, with visions of little windows dancing in my mind and the aroma of macaroni and cheese still in my head, we'd go to Radio City Music Hall where I was overwhelmed with the big Wurlitzer coming out of the wall and that glorious music. I eventually bought my own organ and learned to play.
What a magical time the day was for me. I'll never forget the Automat and only wish the 3 of us could stop by and enjoy it once again. Maybe there will be a H&H in heaven!!!

What fond memories a trip to the Automat brings to New York Baby Boomers! I remember my family's annual Holiday trip to the Radio City Music Hall Christmas show followed by a meal at the Horn and Hardart Automat. For kids who lived in Brooklyn, this was really high living in the Big Apple. My dad loved the coffee and my favorites were macaroni and cheese and apple pie. Thank you to the Horn and Hardart families for providing such a beloved American tradition.

My Dad worked for Horn and Hardart as a quality control engineer from when I was born to when the plant closed. I have many treasured memories of the Christmas Party. We would go to the plant on Thanksgiving and Christmas to pick up our turkey and fixings. We would always take a tour of the plant. The plant was in center city on or close to Camac St. The reason Horn and Hardart folded is that it moved the plant to Northeast Philly on Blue Grass Road. They had a contract with Food Fair Stores. The move to a larger plant, the cost involved and the fast food trends caused H&H demise. Horn and Hardarts had no pension plan and all the employees got a severence pay. Luckily, my Dad worked at H&H with federal inspectors. The Federal Inspectors notified my Dad that there was a position open as a Lower Merion Health Inspector and he worked there until retirement and then when went back as an advisor.

Thoughout the years, right around Christmas time memories go back to my teen years living in Philadelphia. My sister and I would take the subway to Center City to go Christmas shopping. We could go anywhere to shop but Market Street was the most exciting place to be. We had very little money to spend but always made sure we had enough money left to go to H&H a get a piece of pumpkin pie and a cup of hot chocolate.

There was nothing else like H & H! We would take a tray and walk down the isles taking time to look at everything. As I remember, it seems like the interior of the restaurant had marble walls or floors and brass fixtures. I distinctly remember hot chocolate was dispensed from a lion head fixture. Steamy frothy hot chocolate. Fond memories....

I could continue on and talk about my favorite store, John Wanamakers but I think the main topic here is H & H. Thank you for creating a place where we can post our stories of H & H.

What I wouldn't give to walk in to a H&H today . . . just one more time. Like many others that posted here before me, I grew up in Philadelphia and visited several H&H automats: the usual one under the "El" on Frankford Avenue by Oxford Ave.; another by Lit Brothers on Cottman Avenue (in the "great northeast"); and one downtown on Market Street, I believe.

The Frankford Avenue H&H had an H&H bakery outlet just across the street. We would pick up a box of their hot cross buns, and a container of their wonderful rice pudding with raisins. Spotlessly clean counter help, wearing hair nets, would carefully tie each package with string to carry -- no matter if it were one package or ten. They all received the same care and attention.

My favorites dinner items: Salisbury steak, mac and cheese and harvard beets. The restaurant was spacious, and each clank of a spoon on a coffee cup would reverberate throughout the space. The decor was sparse, not "vintage" items on the wall, no TV's . . . which made it easier to pay attention to the person you were with, and enjoy conversation.

If anyone would want to correspond on their memories of H&H, or if you would like to start an H&H forum, let me know. I'm involved with internet services, and I'm testing the waters for an H&H Memories group online.

I be checking back from time to time.

I had similar experiences at H&H. As a child, it was my favorite place to go to with my little Irish grandmother. We would go to one of the downtown Philadelphia automats. I cherish those moments. I purchased the book, The Automat, written by Lorraine B.Diehl and Marianne Hardart. You will love this book, especially if you crave recipes like baked beans and rice pudding. What a read ! I think it's still in print. Oh, I forgot, I also worked at the H&H on the Roosevelt Blvd. as a waitress during the summer before my Junior year of high school. I gained 15 pounds that summer.

I have wonderful,childhood memories of H & H; seeing a piece of pie behind the glass and putting nickels in to get one. We would go to Macy's and then to H & H. It was fun to be able to look at all the items behind the glass and make a choice.

Every year around Christmas my Aunt Rose and Uncle Tex, who did not have children, would travel to West New York, New Jersey to pick up my sister and me for a trip into New York City. We would have lunch at H & H. I would always have a ham and cheese sandwich and chocolate milk. We would then go to Macy's to visit Santa Claus and have our photo taken with Santa. We would then select our Christmas presents. These are fond childhood memories of H & H.

My favorite was an warm apple dumpling with warm vanilla sauce.

I was telling my neice about H & H and how much fun it was to eat there when my Mother & I were in Philly for the day.
I was reminicing about the choc chip pound cake - my favorite - I'd love to have that recipe!Sure do miss those good old days.

I USE TO GO THERE WHEN I WORKED AT PHONE COMPANY ON FRANKFORT AVE. LOVED SPAGETTI AND SALSBURY STEAK. DOES ANYONE KNOW WHERE WE CAN GET RECEIPES??? I MISS H&H ALSO

I grew up in Phila and went to H & H weekly with my grandparents, I remember where every restaurant was located. Every Philadelphian I talk to had their favorites, I loved the mac and cheese, harvard beets, baked beans and tapioca pudding.
I miss H & H.

The automat on 14th Street in Manhattan...after Mom & I would shop for bargains at Klein's...we would head around the corner to H&H Automat...where I savored the most delicious chopped steak, and real gravy the best mashed potatoes and creamed spinach in the world...rice pudding.Later on I would have my lunch at the W57th Street automat. A clean and state of the art example of a caring Corporation in America that took pride in its product. Perhaps before its time! A wonderful example of organization that someone should take off with today.I also enjoyed the H&H Childrens Hour.

I remember the automat on Fulton Street in downtown Brooklyn. My favorite food were the fish cakes and baked beans which were served in a little brown bowl. It was fun with all the nickels. The dining area was enormous...well for an 8 year old it was. I just can't imagine though going to it today and eating sushi!

Horn & Hardart was started by my great grandfather Joseph Horn...He eventually sold the company and everything went downhill after that!...I do miss their food & hospitality!...

H&H was one of my families favorite restaurant and we really miss this great place and it will never come back.Imagine having a tasty and fresh meal for only pocket change,with no waiting and sitting wherever you wanted to sit.My children just can not fathom this type of restaurant as they were closed prior their birth. It really brings back pleasant memories and I really would give anything to be able to go to a automat for even one time.

Hi, I went to Horn and Hardart so many times.My Dad also worked there.It was my favorite.There will never be another. I remember a song " less work for Mother dear". I don't know if that was the title,but if you could send me the title it would be great.Maybe the lyric's it would bring many memories. Thank you

Having been brought up in Philadelphia during the late-'40s, I am pleased to inform you of my intimate relationship with the H and H automat - particularly the one located across from The Academy of Music where, a decade later, I performed opera and ballet. Not only because of the convenience of its locale, but also for its reasonable-priced cuisine and what I considered "the best cup of coffee in Philly," H and H was my "office" between sets. Now, whenever I return home for a visit, I always stare at the spot where the automat once stood ... with a tear in my eye and a lump in my throat, in desperate need of a cup of that exquisite java that once so efficiently kept me going!

I also fondly remember at least a few trips to the automat as a child with my grandmother, possibly in the Passaic or Paterson, New Jersey area. I was fascinated by Automats, along with those big containers that dispensed a gallon milk at various street corners.

Thank you for this walk down memory lane. As a child growing up in a very difficult financial setting the vision of my parents, my brother and I celebrating birthdays at H and H is unforgettable. I seem to remember Thanksgiving dinner there too although I am not sure if they were open on holidays. We lived in a poor community in Philadelphia and would take the PTC trolley car to Frankford Ave. for these special dinners at Horn and Hardart. Our dinner consisted of mashed potatoes, Harvard beets, and creamed spinach. This was a meal fit for a king and I still savor the taste. I am sure that a day like this in the 1940's did not cost my parents more than $5 or $6 dollars but my brother and I were on top of the world. Thank you for the article and thanks to Mr. Horn and Mr. Hardart..................Fran Chelder