Joseph Horn (1861-1941) and Frank Hardart (1850-1918) founded Horn & Hardart, a food service company, in 1888. The pair opened a small cafe on 13th Street in Philadelphia, which quickly became known for serving the best coffee in the city. Several more cafes followed. In 1902, Horn and Hardart opened their first Automat in Philadelphia after Frank Hardart observed a similar waiterless restaurant during a trip to Berlin. The first New York City Automat opened in 1912, and other locations followed in both cities. The Automat became a huge success in Philadelphia and New York City, daily serving hundreds of thousands of people in its heyday. With the rise of fast food chains in the 1960s and 1970s, Horn & Hardart's popularity waned. The last Automat, on 42nd Street in New York City, closed in 1991.