2nd to last Howard Johnson's restaurant to close

[bcla]

https://www.boston.com/news/restaur...taurant-to-close-in-maine-leaving-only-1-more

You know - I only heard about them but I don't think I'd ever eaten at one. I know they were still pretty big in the 80s, but started a slow death spiral when the company closed all of its company-owned locations and didn't really put that much into development for their franchisees. They were famous for hiring Jacques Pepin in their development group to create menu items that could freeze well and be reheated at their restaurants.

At this point in time, how many people think of Howard Johnson's as a restaurant chain?

 

[lynxstch]

I grew up and lived in MA most of my life and remember Howard Johnson's fondly. my favorite meal there was their great fried clams. Sad to hear there won't be any left soon

 

[Cantw8]

They died out decades ago in my area. Also gone are Perkins, IHop, Denny's and Bob Evans. Pretty soon the only breakfast place left will be rotten old McDonald's

 

[low-key]

They died out decades ago in my area. Also gone are Perkins, IHop, Denny's and Bob Evans. Pretty soon the only breakfast place left will be rotten old McDonald's

we still have a couple of Dennys, Ihop and lots of Bob Evans but Perkins are dead here

 

[King Schultz]

I grew up and lived in MA most of my life and remember Howard Johnson's fondly. my favorite meal there was their great fried clams. Sad to hear there won't be any left soon

We used to eat at Howard Johnson's all the time, and yes, the fried clams were great!!

They used to be in So Cal and up and down Route 66 (along with the hotels), but haven't seen one in years.

 

[Party.Of.4-NY>>>FL]

Speaking as a recovering NY Mets fan, all I think of when I hear Howard Johnson is a baseball player. I've never eaten at the restaurant, and after reading your post it seems I never will.

 

[Cantw8]

Weren't they well known for their orange roofs?

 

[Cloudy]

I am a third for the great fried clams! I wish I could have a plate of those now.

 

[JoeA]

I got a terrible case of food poisoning at one in Ft Lauderdale back in 1982. I thought I was going to die in my hotel.

Really. I saw dead relatives that week.

 

[King Schultz]

I got a terrible case of food poisoning at one in Ft Lauderdale back in 1982. I thought I was going to die in my hotel.

Really. I saw dead relatives that week.

Ouch!

 

[Dan Murphy]

Fried clams, their very unique hot dog, and their ice cream.

I will fondly always remember that HJ's was the restaurant that I took Marie to for breakfast after our first 'date', morning mass on Thanksgiving Day, 1968.

 

[kimblebee]

We still have 4 or 5 Perkins here, 2 Denny's (I think) and there was talk of getting an IHOP.

I thought HoJo was just a hotel chain.

 

[bcla]

They died out decades ago in my area. Also gone are Perkins, IHop, Denny's and Bob Evans. Pretty soon the only breakfast place left will be rotten old McDonald's

IHOP and Denny's are still going strong around here. However, very few of those IHOP restaurants are in their traditional A-frame buildings. A lot seem to be anchors in strip malls.

The restaurant chain remember that coexisted alongside Denny's was Sambo's. Also, Marie Callendar's and Baker's Square locations closed over the years around here.

 

[King Schultz]

Fried clams, their very unique hot dog, and their ice cream.

I will fondly always remember that HJ's was the restaurant that I took Marie to for breakfast after our first 'date', morning mass on Thanksgiving Day, 1968.

Awwwwww. . .

Yeah Dan, they had good ice cream back in the day too.

 

[dotfurio]

We have a few Denny's and IHOPs. I don't remember ever eating at HJ. I remember family road trips where we often stopped at Stukey's.

 

[RedAngie]

I didn't realize there were ANY HoJos still in existence.

In college we'd frequently go to HoJos at 3am after a night of partying.

There's an IHOP in an old Howard Johnson's building around here. The hotel behind it is now a Travelodge, I think.

 

[King Schultz]

We have a few Denny's and IHOPs. I don't remember ever eating at HJ. I remember family road trips where we often stopped at Stukey's.

I remember the hundreds of Stuckey's signs along Route 66/ I-40 back in the day.

Pecan Log Rolls!!

 

[trip]

http://www.hojoland.com/history.html

 

[leebee]

I live just outside of Bangor and grew up eating at Howard Johnson's in Massachusetts (LOVED the fried clams, and the peppermint stick ice cream was my favorite), so about a year ago I decided to go to HoJo's in Bangor and see if I could recapture a little of my childhood. All I can say is, I understand why they have no business! The food was abysmal, and those amazing fried clams tasted as if they'd been sitting in the freezer for years. One bite of the ice cream was enough- it was full of ice crystals. These are both signs of old food, cause by low turnover due to low customer number. I guess there are just too many other decent options for meals around here. I'll lament the loss of Howard Johnson's, but the HoJo's I remember fondly are already long gone... this one in Bangor is just not good, and won't be any great loss.

 

[bcla]

I didn't realize there were ANY HoJos still in existence.

In college we'd frequently go to HoJos at 3am after a night of partying.

There's an IHOP in an old Howard Johnson's building around here. The hotel behind it is now a Travelodge, I think.

The brand still exists, but it's basically only a lodging brand. Wyndham owns the brand, and I'm pretty sure that they don't have a commissary any more to make the meals that were delivered to the restaurants. Most of the stuff they had was frozen and reheated, but still of good quality. I'm not even sure where they would get their food these days.