The Last Howard Johnson's Restaurant In America Is Officially Closed
The last Howard Johnson’s Restaurant in America has closed.
The location in Lake George, New York, was for a number of years the final outpost in what was once one of the nation’s biggest restaurant chains, with a history going back to a single location in 1925. That one, in Quincy, Massachusetts, was described by the company as a “small, orange-roofed soda fountain.” Eventually, the look included the signature cupola with a Simple Simon and the Pieman weathervane on top.
-- At one time, the chain had about 1,000 restaurants ― many run by franchisees ― including three iconic locations in the heart of Times Square along with numerous motels. However, the company fell on hard times in the latter part of the 20th century, with multiple ownership changes, franchise disputes and corporate breakups. Many locations were shuttered and the final Times Square location ― just below a strip club ― closed in 2005.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/last-howard-johnson-closes_l_629858a1e4b05fe694f07ecd
Remember traveling the Pennsylvania Turnpike way back when and stopping to the Howard - good memories
= new reply since forum marked as read
No more clams...
Howard Johnson Restaurants may be out of business, but their copiers and competitors are mostly doing very well.
Here in Pittsburgh and southwestern Pennsylvania we have Eat N' Park, Bob Evans, Denny's, Applebee's, and Primanti Brothers that are copies of the Howard Johnson blueprint. Each chain is slightly different and each has its own signature specialty, but they are similar in most aspects.
I don't recall ever eating at a Howard Johnsons and can count on one hand the times our family ate at McDonald's as a kid, even on road trips. Usually we bought food in grocery stores and camped. As artists with day jobs and a van full of kids my parents didn't have that kind of money.
My grandma used to take us to some of the famous diners in Los Angeles. That was always a treat.
When I was younger I remember driving all over the West and Southwest which was dotted with abandoned Stuckey's restaurants.
That's another restaurant we never stopped at.
took the (then) three kids and my cousin Jim to the Wisconsin Dells for a few days. On the way back to northeast Iowa, we stopped and had a picnic in a state park. Years later I remarked to my mom that I remembered that picnic fondly, and what a good idea it had been. She told me they had done it out of necessity; they were so low on cash that was the only way to feed the crowd. 
