It was the automatic chippy that was way ahead of its time, allowing customers to serve themselves decades before the concept of fast food became commonplace.
For six months in 1938, the British Empire Exhibition was held in Bellahouston Park - temporarily transforming the green space into a showcase of the city’s architecture, art, and futuristic attractions.
Impressive structures and modern technology aside, here at Glasgow Live we’re more interested in the automatic chippery set up for the exhibition. Opened by Tatti’s, the row of automatic machines served up a hot portion of chips for just 2d.
In Anna Blair’s book, More Tea at Miss Cranston’s, the author collects memories from Glasgow's elders of years gone by. One of her interviewees recalled the chippery: “For a tuppence, a poke of vinegared chips came scooshing at you down a chute.”
It’s unclear what happened to the service after the exhibition ended, and quite frankly we think an automatic chippy needs to come back to the city. Then again, Glasgow is no stranger to automated fast food.
In 2020, Scotland’s first pizza vending machine opened in Merchant City. Selecting your toppings on a screen, the machine cooks your pizza in three minutes before releasing it through the slot at the front.
While the pizza vending machine has seen great success, we’re sure it’s nothing compared to the automatic chippery of 1938. The Empire Exhibition saw over 12 million visitors come to Glasgow - most likely drawn in by the prospect of a poke of chips.
King George VI opened the exhibition at Ibrox stadium on May 3, 1938, at an event attended by 146,000 people. Again, we have to wonder if the King lined up with his tuppence at the ready for his dinner.
The Empire Exhibition aimed to display Glasgow’s recovery from the depression, and also marked fifty years since the city’s first International Exhibition. The most prominent structure built for the event was the Tait Tower, which stood at 300ft tall.
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Bellahouston Park was also filled with pavilions such as the Palace of Arts, the Peace and Fitness Pavilions, and the Concert Hall. Nineteen restaurants and numerous snack bars were set up - though we’re sure they paled in comparison with Tatti’s Chippery.
Glaswegians would likely have been thrilled at the concept, not only because of its futuristic approach, but with a lack of cheap chips going in 1938. In the summer of that year, fish and chip shops across Glasgow, Edinburgh and Fife went on strike after a surge in potato prices.
Looking to get the cost back down, the Edinburgh and District Fish Friers Association made the move to strike before Glasgow and Fife cooperated. The Fife Free Press & Kirkcaldy Guardian told readers in July of 1938: “The Association has arranged to close down their shops and restaurants for a stated period.”
