AtD related? Gaston Menier

[David Morris]

http://www.kirchersociety.org/blog/?p=996

In 1887, the French chocolate magnate  installed a novel apparatus in
his dining room that allowed meals to be transported straight from the
kitchen to the table, without the need for servants or the passing of
plates. A miniature electric railroad brought the fully prepared
dishes to a stop directly in front of each guest. And when the meal
concluded, the dishes were whisked away, back through a hole in the
wall and out of site. The invention gave the meal "particular
liveliness and intimacy," noted one of Menier's guests.