KINGDOM OF THE AUTOMATS
While automats had disappeared from most cities around the world by the late nineties, there exists one small country that still loves them: The Netherlands. Not the most tech-savvy country, the ‘automatiek’ didn’t make its entrance there until the nineteen-fifties, and it also doesn’t show any signs of leaving yet. The compartments are filled with deep-fried staples otherwise found in a Dutch ‘snackbar’: kroketten, frikandellen, kaassoufflés, bamischijven and more — although burgers and fries are also becoming more popular. These snacks, all held together by their deep-fried breadcrumb crust, are very easy to eat while walking or even cycling, and create little mess: In this case, the technology and the food form a happy marriage. Unlike the automats in the United States (read more here), in the Netherlands, they were never chic.
So does this type of restaurant have a future? Well, yes, maybe it is time for a revival. With ‘new’ technology like contactless payment introduced to the old ‘new’ technology of the automat, they might actually be made for times of social distancing. It’s a little sad, but an automatic restaurant is better than no restaurant at all.
Text: Yannic Moeken
Photography: Jip Moeken
