f The “Automat”. A History of Technological Transfer and the Process of Global Standardization in Modern Fast Food around 1900

The “Automat”, the first automatic restaurant world wide, opened its doors in Berlin in 1896. This article traces the history of its technological transfer around 1900 throughout both Europe and the US where it developed into the world’s largest restaurant chain (Horn & Hardart). In terms of technology, food and consumption practices, the Automat may be interpreted as not only an outcome but also a promoter of the global process of standardization. However, a closer look at the case study of the Automat shows how this process of standardization was interwoven with both the creation of new and the reconfirmation of existing local and national differences.