Sandwiches from decorated machines

Alwin Cubasch deals with the rise and decline of vending machine restaurants around 1900 and receives the Conrad Matschoß Prize of the VDI (Association of German Engineers) for his work

07-May-2025

Vending machine restaurant at Leipzigerstraße 86 in Berlin

Hagley Museum and Library

Around 1900, Berlin became a symbol of modern urbanity. Millions of people moved to the capital, new infrastructure was created, life became faster - and more technical. Much also changed when it came to food: people living in the pulsating metropolis increasingly dined out. A new urban dining culture emerged - characterized by speed, technology and innovation. In the midst of this period of upheaval, a gastronomic experiment emerged that was to become a symbol of progress: the vending machine restaurant.

Alwin Cubasch explores this unusual form of restaurant in his book "Zu Gast im Automaten. Gastrotechnik im Berlin der Jahrhundertwende". He was recently awarded the Conrad Matschoß Prize of the VDI (Association of German Engineers) for the history of technology. The book is based on his master's thesis in the history and culture of science and technology, which Alwin Cubasch completed at TU Berlin in 2017.

Vending machine restaurants as a piece of the future you can touch

In his book, he vividly describes the rapid rise and equally rapid decline of vending machine restaurants, where food could be obtained by inserting a coin from ornate machines - without the need for a waiter. The first of these "restaurants of the future" opened in Berlin in 1896. More soon followed, not only in Germany but also internationally. Particularly popular: the sandwich - fast, meat-heavy, mobile and ideal for the new urban lifestyle. The vending machine restaurants were far more than just practical quick meals. For many people, a visit to a vending machine restaurant was an experience. Here you could experience technology that was not yet available at home: electric lighting, table telephones, state-of-the-art machines. It wasn't just food - it was a piece of the future you could touch. But the dream of a fully automated fast food restaurant also had its downsides. There was a lot of manual work behind the self-service - the machines had to be filled and maintained around the clock. The costs were high, the profits often low. The retreat began as early as 1905, and most branches disappeared after the First World War.

Information about the book

Alwin J. Cubasch, "Zu Gast im Automaten - Gastrotechnik im Berlin der Jahrhundertwende" published 2023 by Waxmann, Studien zur Geschichte von Technik, Arbeit und Umwelt, Volume 44, 224 pages, paperback, with numerous illustrations, €29.90, ISBN 978-3-8309-4737-0
The publication is available open access. To the publisher's website https://www.waxmann.com/buecher/Zu-Gast-im-Automaten

Note: This article has been translated using a computer system without human intervention. LUMITOS offers these automatic translations to present a wider range of current news. Since this article has been translated with automatic translation, it is possible that it contains errors in vocabulary, syntax or grammar. The original article in German can be found here.

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