With all of this focus on the small things, it's little wonder that the Automats didn't make it. Changing lifestyles drove families from cities to suburbs, and fast food chains began their incursion onto the American lunch plate. But the food of the Automat lives on, in memories, books, films, and recipes. Baked beans might not be the fanciest, but they're typical of the low-cost, stick to your ribs type of food that kept thousands of urbanites going throughout two world wars and a Depression. More