Once the largest restaurant chain in the US, the Howard Johnson’s diners were down to their last orange roof by 2016. Now that location, in Lake George, New York, has shut its doors. The restaurant had served visitors to the Adirondack Mountains region for nearly 70 years, per CNN. “Cobwebs on the door,” a local Facebook poster wrote. About 1,000 of the roadside cultural landmarks were serving fried clams and 28 flavors of ice cream in the 1960s, per the Albany Times Union. Then came fast-food chains, including McDonald’s.
The chain was sold and resold in pieces, starting in 1985, losing the rights to the “HoJo” nickname along the way. The “Howard Johnson” name still appears on hotels, motels, and motor lodges, and is now owned by Wyndham. The restaurant chain made appearances in the films 2001: A Space Odyssey and the TV series Mad Men. The Lake George diner, which was built in 1953, was sold in 2015 to a salesman who was then convicted of harassing 15 employees. A new owner took over for the past few years and dealt with pandemic interruptions, like restaurants everywhere. No reason was given for the permanent shutdown.
I walked out of a Howard Johnson’s in 1972 because of lousy service and never went back. I never thought it would take this long for it to catch up to them.
I never realized they had a restaurant chain. I was only familiar with the hotels.
We mostly stayed in Howard Johnson’s when we went on vacation. I remember feeling all fancy and grown up when I ordered a HoJo (was it actually a Pepsi or Coke? I’ll never know). I took swimming lessons at a Howard Johnson’s in Columbus. It was closed and bulldozed long ago.
Well, Stuckey’s closed too but has been revived. Maybe HoJo’s too someday.
Does this mean the lights off? Shit!
No more HoJo Cola?
I had forgotten all about HoJo’s fried clams. They were greasy, rubbery, and best eaten with a gallon of tartar sauce. Maybe they’re right and Taco Bell will be the only restaurant to survive in the future.
I worked waitressing at 2 HoJos.
One in NH in the late 70’s – early 80’s. Always worked fish fry nights. Then I worked at on in ME in the 80’s.
They had the best peppermint stick ice cream!
There used to be a HoJos in the Madonna Plaza in San Luis Obispo, CA back in the ’70s and ’80s. I never went to the HoJos, but when you flew into the, then, untowered airport in SLO at the time, that HoJos was a perfect landmark for 2 miles from a 45 degree entry into the left downwind for runway 29 and SLO airport. So, all the local pilots would announce over the unicom frequency, ” is over HoJos inbound for a full stop.”
I have fond memories of hojo from 70 – 74 years ago. It was big in the East. None of my kin in the West knew of them.
Unlike TONY R my memories (granted is was a kid) are all good.
Used to visit my aunt & cousin @ one off I-40 in Hickory, NC all the time in the ’70’s
If I was close enough to my father as he paid the bill for a Hojo’s dinner, he’d often spring for the extra $.25 for a hojo candy bar, a chocolate covered fudge bar that came in two pieces, the second of which went to my younger brother.
My first (on the books0)job was a HoJo YoYo, dishwaher/busboy
I have good memories of the chain from the 50s when our Navy family did a lot of moving and long distance driving. Howard Johnson’s was a regular stop (along with Dairy Queen for the frozen custard). I loved those greasy chewy “clam” strips even after I found out they were usually sliced up skate. That and the coffee ice cream.
I have memories of HoJo’s, one being their disgusting fried clam strips that were like battered rubber bands. The other is the sweet waitress that brought me out some (free) coffee as I replaced the radiator on my shit-box Nova in the parking lot while it was snowing. Thanks hon, I’ll never forget your kindness.
I miss Sambo’s
God. I’m old. I remember going with my mom, dad & older sister in the late, great 1970’s to the Howard Johnson’s on Kentucky Avenue in Indianapolis. Good covfefe, better pancakes & cigarette smoke so thick it was like walking into a dense fog. My pops loved to contribute to the very smoky atmosphere. Ah, the good old days, when men were men & they ALL smoked! Most of the ladies did as well, if I remember correctly. America was a very different & better place back then.