Automat Redux

I discovered Bamn! last night at 37 St. Marks Place in the East Village - the return of the automat to NYC. The glow of the pink light and its techy decor gave the place a Japanese flavor. The automat, originally a German concept, was introduced to the United States by Horn and Hardart of Philadelphia in 1902 and was then introduced to NYC in 1912. Food is served via a coin-operated vending machine with compartments for the different selections. Read about them here. At their peak in the 1950s, there were hundreds of automats. Horn and Hardart alone had 180. The last (Horn and Hardart at 42nd Street) closed in 1991. There were a number of reasons for their demise - the rise of fast food as well as inflation, which made the food too expensive to be purchased conveniently with coins (machines for bills were not common in the 1960s-70s). Bamn! was conceived by Robert Kwak, David Leong and Nobu Nguyen, who were inspired by modern automats they saw in Amsterdam. Launched on 8/29/06, it appears to be doing well - the selections (mostly finger food) are priced between $1 - $3. They also serve thick-cut Belgian fries and soft-serve green tea ice cream. And, appropriately for NYC, it's open 24/7...