56 Beloved American Restaurants That Have Closed Their Doors

Joseph Horn and Frank Hardart formed Horn & Hardart in 1888. The food services company was the first-ever food service automat in Philadelphia and NYC. At first, Horn & Hardart was a small lunchroom located at 39 South 13th Street. It didn’t have tables, just a counter with fifteen stools. Before the 1888 restaurant’s founding, the venue had housed Dunlap & Claypoole, a print shop.

Dunlap & Claypoole were printers for the American Congress, and their work dated back to print jobs for George Washington. Horn & Hardart introduced chicory coffee straight from New Orleans, and people loved it, making the restaurant a hit until it began to decline in the sixties. It closed down for good in 1987.