PlanJam!From your screen to the scene

The legendary automat has had a long and rich history in New York and other big American and European cities. These automated eateries, which allowed customers to purchase their food from coin-operated slots and eat them in a communal cafeteria-type setting, enjoyed their heyday in the first half of the 20th Century, peaking during the office worker boom of the 1950s. By the 70s, McDonalds and take-out had rendered the automat all but useless, and you’d be hard-pressed to find one, in New York or anywhere else. But a few years ago, that all changed with the opening of Bamn! Inspired by a new generation of Dutch automats serving fast comfort food like burgers and sandwiches, entrepreneurs David Leong and Nobu X decided to revitalize this hibernating tradition in New York, and the results are nothing less than delightful.

Bamn!’s fluorescent pink-lit, glowing design gives it a futuristic, otherworldly feel, and draws people in from the street out of sheer curiosity. It seems to be part of a new trend of modern-looking, Japanese-influenced, colorful fast food places in the neighborhood, and so far, it seems like the locals (mostly NYU students) are eating it up. With their stand-up tables and window serving beverages and Pommes Frites with a crazy variety of dipping sauces, Bamn! makes a perfectly wonderful place to stay and eat, though you could also take your food on the go, thanks to its extreme portability. The purchasing of the food is half the fun, of course, and change machines ensure that you won’t find yourself quarterless and desperately clawing at the glass standing between you and your dinner. The sometimes Asian-influenced comfort food offerings are constantly changing, but some items that make frequent appearances are grilled cheese, mini burgers, mac and cheese croquettes, and Chinese-style roasted pork buns. Nothing here is particularly mind-blowing, but it will satisfy your greasy-salty cravings capably.

The food is a tad overpriced (averaging $2.50 an item), especially since the potions are tiny and you need to buy three or four items if you really want to make a meal of it. It’s best to come here when you’re on your way somewhere and haven’t had a chance to eat, or when the late-night munchies strike you on your way home from the bar. It is at these drunken times that Bamn! really shines, because you can lurch up to the vending area and spend as long as you want deciding, then order without having to annoy any staff members with your speech-slurring ways. Frankly, I don’t know why automats aren’t still a New York staple, considering our collective love of speedy service. Maybe Bamn! will inspire a series of imitators, and we will enjoy a second golden age of convenience.