Reply #128: Burger Chef, Red Barn, HoJo's, [View All]

[noonwitch]

We also had two local chains in Grand Rapids-Ole Taco and Mr. Fables. The first was like Taco Bell, only more authentic.
The second was a hamburger place, where you could get really good fried mushrooms or onion rings on the side.

I know there are still a few HoJo's out there, and the hotels seem to be making a comeback. I remember when the restaurants at the rest areas on the Ohio and Pennsylvania Turnpikes were all Howard Johnson's. They had the best ice cream, and their own brand of candy bars were good, too. We always stayed at HoJo's-they were the same quality as Holiday Inn (at the time-Holiday Inn went totally upscale in the 80s)and were less expensive, plus the restaurant was reliable as a place kids liked to eat. I remember staying at the HoJo's in Scarborough, ONT when we went on our vacation to Toronto.

I also remember eating at Red Barn restaurants when I travelled. They only recently tore down a couple of old ones in Detroit-there was one on E. Jefferson and one in Highland Park that had become a Popeyes before it burned down a few years ago.