2007.184.1.170: World's First Fully Automated Restaurant (First of eight): "Order Please!" This motoring family places its order at Jay's Brookdale Drive-In Restaurant by pressing the button on the Teletray microphone and reciting food items from the posted menu. In four minutes they'll have their meal.

Identification and Creation

Object Number

2007.184.1.170

People

Gordon W. Gahan, American (New York, New York 1945 - 1984 St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands)

Title

World's First Fully Automated Restaurant (First of eight): "Order Please!" This motoring family places its order at Jay's Brookdale Drive-In Restaurant by pressing the button on the Teletray microphone and reciting food items from the posted menu. In four minutes they'll have their meal.

Other Titles

Series/Book Title: World's First Fully Automated Restaurant

Classification

Photographs

Work Type

photograph

Date

June 1966

Places

Creation Place: North America, United States

Culture

American

Persistent Link

https://hvrd.art/o/321555

Physical Descriptions

Technique

Gelatin silver print

Dimensions

20 x 25.6 cm (7 7/8 x 10 1/16 in.)

Inscriptions and Marks

• (not assigned): Stamped on verso: Please credit United Press International Photo: This picture is for your publication only and must not be loaned, syndicated or used for advertising purposes without written permission from United Press International. By accepting this picture you agree to hold United Press International harmless from any loss or damage arising by reason of your use or publication of this picture.: United Press International, Inc. 220 East 42nd Street New York 17, N. Y.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line

Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Gift of Barbara Robinson

Accession Year

2007

Object Number

2007.184.1.170

Division

Modern and Contemporary Art

Contact

am_moderncontemporary@harvard.edu

Permissions

The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request.

Subjects and Contexts

• Gordon Ward Gahan Collection

Related Works

• 2007.184.1.56

  Gordon W. Gahan

  World's First Fully Automated Restaurant (Second of eight): Inside, this "buttons-eye" view shows Sharon Levans bringing her finger to bear on the "talk" control as she operates the order console. The console activates the food machine and prints up a bill.

  Photographs
• 2007.184.1.57

  Gordon W. Gahan

  World's First Fully Automated Restaurant (Third of eight): Judy Reimann looks on with delight as converors move the food items from the machines of the AMFare System to the assembly area. From left to right are, hot dogs, wrapped hamburgers, an assortment of French fried onion rings, chicken and shrimp, and French fried potatoes.

  Photographs
• 2007.184.1.58

  Gordon W. Gahan

  World's First Fully Automated Restaurant (Fourth of eight): Strawberries are different.... Paula Svelin has to do her work by hand as she pares strawberries. Behind her, nearly every other food preparation task is taken care of by machine. The strawberries are used for strawberry pie.

  Photographs
• 2007.184.1.59

  Gordon W. Gahan

  World's First Fully Automated Restaurant (Fifth of eight): Any of three flavors can be dispensed as ordered by this automatic milk shake machine located conveniently near the AMFare system central assembly point. A cup is dispensed, filled with the shake until the flow is automatically stopped by electric eye, then rotated to allow the next shake to be made.

  Photographs
• 2007.184.1.60

  Gordon W. Gahan

  World's First Fully Automated Restaurant (Sixth of eight): The assembly area of the AMFare system finds the attendant--the only person involved in the operation of the system other than the operator of the ORBIS control unit--matching food items with an order check dispensed by the printer on top of the counter behind his chef's hat. Once loaded trays are placed on a converyor belt.

  Photographs
• 2007.184.1.61

  Gordon W. Gahan

  World's First Fully Automated Restaurant (Seventh of eight): A tray of automatically prepared food leaves the kitchen en route to the dining room by conveyor belt after the individual food items were collected by order boys (background) and placed on a tray with the check. The tray is carried by carhops to the cars.

  Photographs
• 2007.184.1.62

  Gordon W. Gahan

  World's First Fully Automated Restaurant (Eighth -- end of set): A carhop is silhouetted as she whizzes past the menu sign bringing food to the hungry customers.

  Photographs

Verification Level