Hardart Family Joins Revival of Iconic Horn & Hardart Brand

Descendants of co-founder Frank Hardart bring family legacy and decades of experience to the return of the historic American brand.

PHILADELPHIA, PA, UNITED STATES, October 8, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Nearly 140 years after Frank Hardart and Joseph Horn created what would become one of America’s most recognizable restaurant brands, members of the Hardart family are helping shape its next chapter.

Horn & Hardart today announced the involvement of siblings Tom, Paul and Marcy Hardart, descendants of company co-founder Frank Hardart, in the ongoing revival of the historic brand.

Founded in Philadelphia in 1888, Horn & Hardart became an institution in Philadelphia and New York and is best known for opening the first Automat in America. At its height, millions of customers knew Horn & Hardart for its iconic Automat restaurants, distinctive coffee, and an approach to convenience that changed the way Americans ate.

The revival of Horn & Hardart began in 2023 with a renewed focus on the coffee that was once synonymous with the company’s Automats. The company is also developing new experiences that bring the company’s tradition of quality, convenience, and innovation forward.

For the Hardart family, the revival is both deeply personal and forward-looking.

“For our family, Horn & Hardart has never just been a name from the past. It represented a remarkably modern idea: good food, good coffee, and an experience that was open to everyone. We’re excited to help honor that history while thinking carefully about what those same values can mean for a new generation,” said Paul Hardart.

Tom and Paul have long played a role in preserving Horn & Hardart’s history. In 2006, they donated an extensive collection of company and family records to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. Spanning more than a century, the collection includes photographs, business correspondence, operating manuals, annual reports, marketing materials, family papers and other records documenting the rise and evolution of Horn & Hardart.

Today, they are joined in the company’s revival by their sister, Marcy Hardart. Together, the three siblings bring both a direct connection to the family’s history and a range of professional experience to the next chapter of Horn & Hardart.

Tom Hardart is a technology, media and investment executive who has overseen investments in more than 25 startups and media properties. He is the founder and partner of XOL Ventures, co-founder of biotechnology company Otolith Labs, and was previously a senior executive at AOL. He also co-founded and served as CEO of Adirondack Pictures.

Paul Hardart is Director of the Entertainment, Media and Technology Program at New York University’s Stern School of Business and has spent his career at the intersection of media, business and storytelling. He previously founded and ran Universal Focus, the independent film label of Universal Pictures, and held senior positions at Universal Pictures, Warner Bros. and Turner Broadcasting.

Marcy Hardart is a Santa Monica-based pediatrician and joins her brothers as an investor and participant in the company’s revival.

“Having members of the Hardart family involved means an enormous amount to us,” said David Arena, CEO of Horn & Hardart. “We’re not interested in simply putting an old name on something new. We’re working to understand what made Horn & Hardart special in the first place and carry those ideas forward. Tom, Paul and Marcy bring both a deep connection to that history and a range of professional experience and perspective. Their involvement helps us bridge where this company has been with where we believe it can go.”

With the Hardart family participating in that effort, one of America’s most storied hospitality brands is beginning a new chapter with a direct connection to the family that helped create it nearly 140 years ago.

About Horn & Hardart:

Founded in Philadelphia in 1888 by Joseph Horn and Frank Hardart, Horn & Hardart became one of America’s most iconic restaurant companies and pioneered the Automat in the United States. Known for its coffee, accessible food, and innovative self-service restaurants, the company became a fixture of everyday life in Philadelphia and New York.

Today, Horn & Hardart is being revived for a new generation, beginning with coffee and consumer products while exploring new ways to bring the company’s legacy of quality, convenience and innovation into modern life.

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