Here’s a food-thematic assemblage of vintage color snapshots from Dave Gelinas’ collection. Howard Johnson’s were everywhere once upon a time, especially along highways, where it came to symbolize road trip fine dining. My own exposure was a bit different, as my father always took us out for a Sunday mid-day dinner after we moved to Towson, and the first year or so, it was HoJo’s almost every week. I got very familiar with the all-you-can-eat menu, very deep fried at that.
Here’s some HoJo’s from various decades and locations. maybe you can identify some of them.
3rd from bottom is in Orleans, MA.
I think that it was the second built and the first franchisee.
Now the LostDog Pub.
When I was a single-digit age, I thought cuisine didn’t get any better than Howard Johnson’s.
“When I was a single-digit age, I thought cuisine didn’t get any better than Howard Johnson’s.”
Me too – especially their spaghetti! 🙂
For me it was their chicken croquettes with white gravy for dunking. This was truly gourmet eating for a kid from Indiana in the 1950’s/60’s.
https://www.leaf.tv/articles/how-to-make-howard-johnson-chicken-croquettes/
It’s where I learned to call a root beer and vanilla ice cream float a Black Cow.
I also picked up an affinity for hot dogs in toasted buns, and The Story of Ice Cream which was on either the placemat or the back of the kiddie’s menu.
Great shots, particularly like the grannies and the 1950 Ford.
Never been to a HoJo, the classic travel meal for the D family was sandwiches off the top of the pop up trailer. In a cemetery or by a historical marker.
Never been to a Cracker Barrel either, but when we were in Florida over New Years we decided to try a Waffle House for the first time. Underwhelming..
I have to laugh at your recollection, Doug. We would travel out to the eastern end of Pennsylvania to visit my sister every summer. On the way, we would pass a bunch of Stuckey’s HoJo’s and other things, but my immigrant parents would never stop there. We always stopped at a rest stop and had salami sandwiches…
For some reason, my wife’s family looooves Cracker Barrel, but I’m not a huge fan. When we lived in Atlanta, I lived in the same city where Chick-fil-A had one of their first restaurants and it was a point of interest. But, honestly, it’s a chicken sandwich. I don’t understand the fascination with that or the fascination with Krispy Kreme, either.
Also, when we lived in Atlanta, Waffle Houses (the Awful Waffle) were everywhere. You’re right, it was a franchised greasy spoon, nothing to get excited over. I’ll take a real greasy spoon any day…
Same experiences here too traveling as a kid, our mother always packed sandwich fixing, cheese, fruit and drinks in our big Sears cooler. We’d find a roadside pull-off or park to have a bite. Rarely did we ever eat out at a restaurant, never at Howard Johnson’s, only hot dog/ice cream stands. I doubt if we missed much.
Frankly, none of the chain outfits are much to get excited about. My preference is to patronize small local family restaurants and diners. If I’m going to enjoy ‘greasy spoon’ it has to be genuine ‘greasy spoon’, not some corporate idea of it.
When I was doing Mark IV consulting work at the Bell Labs “tower” in the mid-1970s I was a work week regular for almost 2 years at the Piscataway NJ Howard Johnson’s on Stelton Road.
Wednesday was pasta night and they had a live band in the lounge!
OK, laugh all you want, I thought it was quite nice.
Are you related to W. Gunther Plaut, of Toronto?
If you are referring to the late author, scholar and reform rabbi Wolf Gunther Plaut, (November 1, 1912 – February 8, 2012), probably not.
I say “probably” because my family history is vague, and was kind of truncated after my father eloped to the Glen Isle Casino with a blonde, blue eyed, French and Catholic fashion model he met in NYC and was, as a result, subsequently ejected from the family fold.
So, maybe but probably not. Plaut was/is a fairly common name and my paternal grandparents came from Alabama.
I does appear however that I inherited my father’s attraction to blue-eyed blondes with somewhat questionable results.
they also had the Red Coach Grill – an upmarket steakhouse chain
http://www.highwayhost.org/Connecticut/RedCoach/redcoachgrill.htm
HoJos is missed
I remember hearing about a friend of a friend who worked at the HoJo’s at Routes 5, 9 and I-91 at the north end of Brattleboro, VT. This was 1981.
The story went that she once answered the phone…HOJO’S.
Management ripped her a new one…it’s HOWARD!! JOHNSON’S!!
I don’t recall if she was fired over that but apparently, at THAT time, the slang for Howard Johnson’s was verboten. At least at that location.
But it wasn’t long after…just a couple of years IIRC, that you started to see Howard Johnson’s refer to themselves as HoJo’s in their advertising.
McDonald’s went thru the same thing.
In fact, there was an actual “Mickey Dee’s” burger joint in Washington, PA in the late ’80s. But then McDonald’s recognized the slang and began to incorporate it into their marketing…”Mickey D’s Sweet Tea,” anyone?
After McDonald’s trademarked the expression, the totally-unrelated burger joint in Little Washington quickly changed their name.
That top shot looks like one of the service plazas on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. I remember HoJo’s being the restaurants at those through most of the 1960s. We would occasionally stop at a HoJo while traveling, and there was one (including a Motor Lodge) not far from me in New Haven, Indiana along U.S. 30 that was an occasional dining stop. I am not sure when it went away, but it was certainly gone by 1980.
It is incredible how what may have been the first (and what was certainly the most successful) nationwide dining chain fell apart.
As for the cars, the 64 Cutlass jumped out at me (second picture, third in the line of red cars), it was just like the red one on our owner’s manual. And the 51-52 Imperial hardtop in the last shot is a real rarity. And I love that first shot. There were Cadillac owners, and then there were *red Cadillac* owners. 🙂
In that line of red cars, I am more astounded by the condition of the six+ year old Valient. Not many of the first generation were rust-free, by that age.
They lasted on the Turnpike well into the 70’s – when we’d go to visit my grandmother in Harrisburg, we usually stopped at either MIdway South, which just got a rather good renovation, or the newer Sideling Hill Plaza. Fried clams for me, every time. Plus an ice cream cone, of course.
Last time I visited a HoJo’s was for a Hipster birthday party at the old Times Square location. Not a good experience at all.
For me, the one in the line of red cars that stands out is that ‘68 Impala. Paint it Grecian Green and that could’ve been our family car parked at the HoJo’s.
We took many road trips when I was a kid, and this establishment was one of our go to places.
The one in Towson that Paul mentions was one of the last ones to close. I think it may’ve even still been in operation into the 2000’s, maybe even the early 2010’s. I’m not sure on the timing though, as an internet search turned up nothing.
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What stands out to me are the popular colors of cars a decade or so apart. Early 1950’s was a time of soft blues and greens. My dad and uncle both bought new green GM cars in 1955. Mid ’60’s shots above show off bright red. Today, of course, its silver/gray, book-ended by black and white.
Unfortunately you are so correct. sometimes during my lunch hour I will walk a local shopping area and do a count – easily 75% black/white/gray. this world hates color now.
Howard Johnson’s….Stayed at one once long ago in the Chicago area. It wasn’t that memorable other than the name.
In 2010 we did eat at a Howard Johnson’s (I think that’s what it was) in Salt Lake City. It was quite reasonable as I remember five of us ate for exactly $40.
Advertising jingle on the radio:
“Howard Johnson’s, Howard Johnson’s, someone you know, wherever you go…”
Nice bunch of photos! I like that they are almost all color and very high quality. Kodachrome?
Second from the bottom, that pool sure looks inviting! Florida would be my guess. One notable feature from long ago: no fence around the pool. Can’t imagine a wide-open hotel pool like that nowadays! What did the sign mean by “Private Pools”?
Among the road trip stuff I inherited from my Dad was this copy of a Howard Johnson children’s menu from the 1950’s. It was in a box of photos, brochures, and postcards from trips we made to Florida during that decade.
And the cover:
And not a “chicken finger” or hot dog in sight! 🙂
But what kid wanted peas? Lots of vegetables to keep Moms happy.
The vegetable hating kid had to convince Mom to let him have the Jack Horner Lunch with a raspberry jam sandwich, ice cream, and milk – yum. And no nasty “fresh peas” (which must have been fresh from the can). Different times.
Ho-Jos did have hot dogs on the adult menu, always served in the New England style square-cut flat top roll.
The fourth photo was taken in Albany NY on Western Avenue (US 20). Looks like an Italian restaurant is at that site now.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Johnson%27s tells the sad story of the demise of HoJos.
It seems to me that their failings were a lot like those of some auto companies – failure to keep up with the times, very little innovation, inadequate or misdirected reinvestment, failure to understand their market.
I thought I’d add this to the collection:
(New York City, 1987)
The juxtaposition of a Howard Johnson’s across the street from a porn shop featuring an advertisement for Erotic City starring Amber Lynn just seems wrong☺. Great picture.
Especially with a cab from DIX
Wow, these are some real time capsule pictures. It’s hard to believe but there used to be a Howard Johnsons on the Southeast Expressway, which is Interstate 93 in Quincy, Mass, just south of Boston. The federal government made them close it because of safety issues with traffic. Good call. That road is crazy enough without any more distractions.
I’ve lived around Boston long enough to remember that location, though I never ate there. I have also read that there was one at Wellington Circle in Medford, where the CVS is now.
Until a few years ago there was what appeared to be a Howard Johnson alongside I-81 in northern Virginia. I could never quite figure out if it was derelict or still a going concern. It has since been rebuilt.
In St. Augustine, Florida there is a Howard Johnson that bills itself as the last remaining motor lodge in the chain. There is/was also a restaurant on the property but it has been long enough ago that I was in the area that I forget if it is still a Howard Johnson.
BTW, years ago, ALL the restaurants on the Pennsylvania Turnpike system belonged to one chain…they were all Howard Johnson or McDonald’s or Burger King. The state had an auction every now and then and the franchise was awarded to the highest bidder.
When my family moved from Pennsylvania to Alabama for a year in the early 60s we often stopped at Howard Johnson on trips back and forth. At some point we would happen upon a favorite meal, then eat that meal at every stop. (Back then, the trip took nearly 3 days unless my parents drove straight through….no interstate highways yet.) 1 meal that I will always remember was the BLTs that we enjoyed so much we ate nothing else for 2 days. I can’t remember any other Howard Johnson meal.
My very first “real” job, one that required punching a time clock, was at the Howard Johnson in my hometown of Henderson, Kentucky. It was located along a major artery (US 41) and drew transient customers as well as locals. I worked there for about four months in the spring/summer of 1968; I was a busboy and made all of 75 cents per hour. Typically I would also get several dollars from each of the waitresses from their tips; this money was in good old untraceable and untaxed cash. Of course the real perk of working there was the food, we were permitted to eat pretty much anything that we wanted from the menu (with the exception of the steaks). On an average night I probably consumed 10-15 dollars worth of clams, fries and whatever. My most vivid memory of working at HoJo was the Friday night, all you can eat, fried fish special. By the time I started my shift at 5:00 people were already lined up out the door waiting to be seated. I really earned my 75 cents/hour on those nights.
I live in southern Indiana about 50 miles north of Evansville. We go through Henderson quite frequently. As a kid most of our vacations were to Kentucky or Tennessee. I am not sure if we ever stopped there. Probably not as my dad was always in a hurry to get where we were going. It might have had something to do with traveling with 4 kids in a two door Ford and later an Olds wagon. Anyway, I do remember that Howard Johnson’s quite well. I think it was still there until recently. Well, at least the building was.
When I was a kid, my Depression children parents wouldn’t think of eating in a restaurant. I can only remember one time: my seventh birthday was at McDonald’s. I can’t recall another time. We also never got sandwiches or lunch or even a pee break. Dad had to get wherever he was going as fast as possible. I never figured out why.
Have to make good time!
I don’t think of HoJo’s as a restaurant. I don’t remember ever seeing one. They were just hotels far as I knew.
The Sambo’s chain was similar–massive expansion followed by impending doom with not a trace left. Sambo’s owned their own real estate company, their own trucking company, had company-owned and franchise stores. And then…nothing except some artifacts on eBay.
Last I heard, Perkins was in trouble.
Maybe the movie Demolition Man was right–Taco Bell will win the Franchise Wars.
All of the moderately-priced chain restaurants (Friday’s, Outback, Denny’s, etc.) are closing stores). Bennigan’s, Steak and Ale, and Mountain Jack are long-gone.
A symptom of the hollowing-out of the middle class, I suppose. Folks with money want to eat someplace “nice” (or at least expensive, with vegetable sides costing $12), and everyone else thinking of Waffle House as an affordable night out.
My parents and I would make a two-hour trip from South Jersey to the Harrisburg area via the Pennsy Turnpike to visit Mom’s relatives. The trip was too short to justify stopping for a meal, but on the way home we would always stop at the HoJo just before the Valley Forge exit to get ice cream. Howard Johnson’s had an awesome Black Raspberry ice cream.
The summer after I graduated high school I worked at the HoJos at the James Fenimore Cooper rest area on the Jersey Turnpike (between exits 4 and 5). I worked the snack bar, which had burgers, hot dogs, fries, soda, and “shakes”. Hated having to deal with harried dads who just wanted to get some grub to quiet their kids, and hated coming home from work covered in grease, but loved having access to a grill and fryer to make my own meals. The job taught me that I am mentally unqualified for customer-service work, which is a valuable lesson to learn at age 18.
Youngsters like to stay home and play with their toys. They don’t go out to eat, instead they have delivery. Here in Vancouver, it’s big business, especially in the Chinese community of rich kids. Uber eats is always looking for people and I see sad, dejected guys pedaling through the rain with food containers on their backs. I have never found it too hard to fry a pork chop, boil a potato and steam some vegetables but your Fortnite game makes all that kind of hard.
This lifestyle is so different than that of my youth. I ran in the woods for years and still do when I can. Young people now don’t so much.
When I was 21, I can’t recall seeing an obese 21 year old. I think there was one in my high school. Now they are everywhere.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! How we loved Hojo’s. I loved it as a child and stopped often as a licensed driver.
Classic cars *and* Howard Johnson’s??? Could this Curbside post be any better? 🙂
I have never been to a Howard Johnsons but growing up in the 1980’s i thought the restaurant was owned by Mets baseball player Howard Johnson.
In the 6th photo from the bottom – looks like a ’64 Chevrolet Chevelle 2-door wagon, a car that wasn’t very common even when it was new, and is pretty rare today.
By the time I was around in the late seventies-early eighties, HJ was already a dying brand. But those buildings with the four roof peaks in an “X” shape (not sure if there is an actual architectural term for that) lived on for another 30 years at least in this area, either being converted to IHOP or other independent breakfast houses/late night diners.
As a avid child reader of Mad, I can remember HJs being lampooned there. I can’t say I’ve ever seen one in my USA road trips. The motel I stayed at in Vandalia IL was a Howard Johnson, so I was told. That’s my closest brush with one.
The last Ho-Jos was in Lake George NY. We used to go by there on the way north to the family place in Vermont and say we should stop and check it out… but it came to a sad end, now it’s too late. Maybe it’s a good thing we didn’t:
https://www.eater.com/2017/2/14/14601970/last-howard-johnsons-lake-george-new-york
In season 5, episode 6 of MAD MEN, Don and Megan Draper (2nd wife) take an impromptu road trip to Plattsburgh, New York to visit the Howard Johnson’s flagship hotel and restaurant.
The trip turns into a disaster after Megan informs Don that she dislikes orange sherbet. Go figure!!
The second to last one standing in Bangor Maine was attached to a HoJos motel.
What a freakshow.
The restaurant was only open for breakfast and was empty of any patrons.
They did have a lounge but when we went to get a toddie before retiring, we found out it was a gay hangout. Couldn’t get out of Dodge any faster than that night.
Just stumbled across this post. How did I miss this one from 5 years ago? Great pics, great cars, HoJo’s used to be everywhere. They weren’t the most exciting places around, but you always knew exactly what you were going to get. When HJ’s started popping up in the 40’s and 50’s, the roadside was populated by diners and greasy spoons of varying quality, so consistency was a big selling point.
The pic with the guys out front smoking was from a location along the Mass Pike. Directly below it is Ocala, FL. Third from the bottom is Orleans, MA. Second from bottom is Fort Myers, FL.
And pic #4 is Albany, NY.