(WRITER)
Introduction
The early 1900s were a period of significant change – aircraft, cars, transatlantic ocean liners – all these were coming into mainstream use, and owe their emergence to this period of technical advancement. Another lesser-remembered innovation of the time that captured the imagination of the people was the automat. The first example of automated fast food at a low price, the system consisted of a number of windows in which food was displayed. You put in a coin (initially a nickel or 5 cents later revised to a dime or 10 cents) and the window could be opened and the food taken. There were no waiters ...
