Since the 16th century, people have been going to restaurants as an escape, a way to relax and a place to be served. The modern restaurant paradigm hasn’t changed much since then, but within the last century there has been an insurgence of server-less restaurants. The first automatic restaurant was opened in Philadelphia 1902 by Horn & Hardart Baking Company. The automat featured rows of coin-operated machines that contained various meals accessible behind a glass window. By the 1920s automats were popular throughout the United States and were hailed as “the restaurant of the future”.

By the 1950s, many Americans were living in suburbs and owned cars, thus fast-food restaurants and drive-throughs became a threat to the automat. By the 1970s any automats remaining were strictly surviving on nostalgic appeal and their presence dwindled in the market place.

By the 1950s many Americans were living in suburbs and owned cars, thus fast-food restaurants and drive-thrus became a threat to the automat. By the 1970s any automats remaining were strictly surviving on nostalgic appeal and their presence dwindled in the market place. This allowed the traditional restaurant to reassert itself as the primary way of eating out of the home. But while the automat was dying out, conveyor belt sushi was entering the market, and remains a popular novelty still today.

Fast-forward to 2006, where BAMN!, a modern automat, opened in New York City. It was characterized by bright pink design features and promised cheap, quality food from a vending machine. The opening was met with wide press coverage. With good and convenient food as well as impressive packaging and marketing, critics gave BAMN! high marks for quality and convenience. Unfortunately, in 2009 BAMN! was forced to close its doors. Many critics believed this was due to lack of consistency and that the novelty wore off.

In 2008, Inamo, a Pan-Asian restaurant, opened in London, England using table-top touch screens which allow patrons to not just place orders via illustrated menus projected on the table surface, but also set the mood, discover the local neighbourhood, and even order a taxi home.

While these server-less restaurants may seem like a gimmick, there are obvious reasons for one to want to open a server-less restaurant. The main reason is the reduction in labor cost and a competitive edge to attract customers.

Taking it a step further, Baggers opened in Guttenberg, Germany in 2008. Baggers uses a touch screen ordering system much like Inamo, but removes the front of line staff almost completely as dishes are served from an elaborate spiral contraption descending from the ceiling. You can even send text messages and emails via the touch screen.

While these server-less restaurants may seem like a gimmick, there are obvious reasons for one to want to open a server-less restaurant. The main reason is the reduction in labor cost and a competitive edge to attract customers. Conversely, there will be a high startup cost associated with setting up the server-less technology.

…in the faster more technologically advanced world we live in, server-less restaurants seem to make more sense than ever.

Although it is doubtful that fine dining restaurants will adapt to the trend any time soon, and with good reason, server-less restaurants do have a place in the market—particularly in the casual dining segment. It would be tough to expect a great meal coming from such a gimmicky medium. Therefore, for a server-less restaurant to be successful it must not try to re-mold a traditional idea but rather make the server-less technology a built-in feature of the restaurant for efficiency and speed.

It isn’t a matter of concern that servers will be replaced by robots like some dystopian film but rather that these concepts will compliment each other in a market place. Perhaps the world was not ready for the automats in the past, but in the faster more technologically advanced world we live in, server-less restaurants seem to make more sense then ever.