"Automat, the once hotly anticipated all-day cafe from chef Matt Kirk, will close its doors by the end of the month. The NoPa restaurant made the announcement on Sunday morning via Instagram post, sharing that Automat’s last day of service will be Sunday, August 27. The reason for the closure? Automat struggled to find the right balance between quality and affordability. Automat offers a casual dining experience, one where customers order at the front counter and choose their own seats, the restaurant also baked bread for its sandwiches and made all its pastries in-house. Automat initially offered all-day service including breakfast, lunch, and dinner — but ended dinner service in June. At the time, the restaurant shared that it’d been challenging to fit their extensive daytime and bakery program alongside a completely separate dinner menu. It now seems downsizing the scope of the service offerings still wasn’t enough. The restaurant opened its doors in late November 2021, serving breakfast sandwiches, banana bread, and lattes on the corner of McAllister and Baker streets." - Lauren Saria
