In Memoriam Howard Johnson's 1925-2022

[Fenway]

Howard Johnson's - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

​

HoJo's was a big part of my childhood. My Mom loved their clam rolls and when she was dying she had me sneak one into Mount Auburn Hospital. The 28 flavors of ice cream were

Banana, Black Raspberry, Burgundy Cherry, Butter Pecan, Buttercrunch, Butterscotch, Caramel Fudge, Chocolate, Chocolate Chip, Coconut, Coffee, Frozen Pudding, Fruit Salad, Fudge Ripple, Lemon Stick, Macaroon, Maple Walnut, Mocha Chip, Orange-Pineapple, Peach, Peanut Brittle, Pecan Brittle, Peppermint Stick, Pineapple, Pistachio, Strawberry, Strawberry Ripple, and Vanilla​

The founder struck gold after WWII when he was able to lock up deals on travel plazas on most expressways in the Northeast into Chicagoland.

HoJoLand.com

Tribute site to Howard Johnson's Restaurants. Find out what's new under the orange roof!

www.hojoland.com

In the late 70s, new owners decided the HoJo brand should focus on hotels and they converted many of the restaurants into a new brand called Ground Round.

​

I went to the last one in New England (Bangor) a week before it closed in 2016

Click to read more...

 

[DKH]

Such a big deal hitting their as a kid

 

[aguineapig]

No longer available in your grocer's frozen food section. Life was good when it was, always had a corn toastee after an exciting Bruins win.

 

[Gee Wally]

This did make me sad when I saw the news. Back when I was a yute, early 70s, meand my buddies had breakfast every Sunday at the HoJos in Burlington.
We had a street hockey league in The Burlington Mall parking lot. Back in those days the ‘Blue Laws’ had the mall closed on Sundays.
There’d be numerous games going on. Serious stuff. Jerseys, refs, the whole shabang.

HoJos was right there.Across the street. We’d have our blueberry or corn toasties, glass of oj and go play.

Good times.

 

[Bruinswillwin77]

Never heard of the place

 

[BruinsFanSince94]

Stayed in one in Lake Placid as a kid on a hockey tournament.

 

[jgatie]

I was a regular in the HoJos at the South Shore Plaza weekend early mornings. Right off the highway from the clubs in town. Big Breakfast, scrambled, grilled bagel, no cream cheese.

 

[Ratty]

That was the “go to” restaurant as a kid riding in the car with my parents and brother. Sort of like McDonalds is today. Liked the ice cream choices.

 

[sarge88]

Such a big deal hitting their as a kid

Loved their chocolate chip ice cream for some reason --- the chips were smaller than most places. Don't know why I liked it better or why I even remember this, but I do.

 

[Fenway]

Going to the Moon in 2001? HoJo's had you covered

 

[Bruinaura]

View attachment 555314

Howard Johnson's - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

View attachment 555315
​

HoJo's was a big part of my childhood. My Mom loved their clam rolls and when she was dying she had me sneak one into Mount Auburn Hospital. The 28 flavors of ice cream were

Banana, Black Raspberry, Burgundy Cherry, Butter Pecan, Buttercrunch, Butterscotch, Caramel Fudge, Chocolate, Chocolate Chip, Coconut, Coffee, Frozen Pudding, Fruit Salad, Fudge Ripple, Lemon Stick, Macaroon, Maple Walnut, Mocha Chip, Orange-Pineapple, Peach, Peanut Brittle, Pecan Brittle, Peppermint Stick, Pineapple, Pistachio, Strawberry, Strawberry Ripple, and Vanilla​

The founder struck gold after WWII when he was able to lock up deals on travel plazas on most expressways in the Northeast into Chicagoland.

HoJoLand.com

Tribute site to Howard Johnson's Restaurants. Find out what's new under the orange roof!

www.hojoland.com

In the late 70s, new owners decided the HoJo brand should focus on hotels and they converted many of the restaurants into a new brand called Ground Round.

​

I went to the last one in New England (Bangor) a week before it closed in 2016

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I remember HoJos. Last time I ate at one was probably back in the 80s though.

 

[Fenway]

HoJo also owned a chain of upscale restaurants - Red Coach Grille

 

[McGarnagle]

Although I've heard the name a lot from when I was a kid, I don't believe I ever went to one. We did go to a Ground Round though way back in the day (mid-90s at least), I never realized that Ground Rounds were a Howard Johnsons brand.

 

[Fenway]

They had a flagship location in Harvard Square and my parents went there every Sunday after church.

 

[Gee Wally]

I also fondly remember this one. It was at the Cape Cod Bourne rotary. Marked the halfway point for our annual summer vacation cottage in P Town. Everybody out to pee and get a hot dog before continuing what seemed like an all day drive for little kids.

 

[Ladyfan]

As a child we lived in Littleton MA. We did not have much money. On our birthdays we could either have a small birthday with kids at our house (cake and ice cream and pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey kind of games) OR go to Howard Johnson's restaurant in Chelmsford for fried clams (no bellies) and ice cream.

I just spent a couple of days at my sister's house in Williamstown MA (JUST got home... 3 hour drive) There is a Howard Johnson's hotel there

 

[Unholy Diver]

We always seemed to find one when on a vacation

 

[Ludwig Fell Down]

Sad day, another iconic place from my childhood is gone, along with Brighams and York Steak House.

I loved HoJo's as a kid. I remember that I used to call it "Power Johnson's" (a bit phallic in hindsight) and that I always got a hot dog.

 

[Babajingo]

For some reason, I remember there being one at the Braintree split. But that coulda been a bickfords or ihop?
Used to frequent the Red Coach Grill in Hingham and the Ground Round in Cohasset alot. Remember they used to have peanut shells on the floor and woody woodpecker cartoons on the projector.

 

[jgatie]

For some reason, I remember there being one at the Braintree split. But that coulda been a bickfords or ihop?
Used to frequent the Red Coach Grill in Hingham and the Ground Round in Cohasset alot. Remember they used to have peanut shells on the floor and woody woodpecker cartoons on the projector.

Bickford's was the Braintree exit off the rotary. Hojos was at the Plaza.

 

[GordonHowe]

View attachment 555314

Howard Johnson's - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

View attachment 555315
​

HoJo's was a big part of my childhood. My Mom loved their clam rolls and when she was dying she had me sneak one into Mount Auburn Hospital. The 28 flavors of ice cream were

Banana, Black Raspberry, Burgundy Cherry, Butter Pecan, Buttercrunch, Butterscotch, Caramel Fudge, Chocolate, Chocolate Chip, Coconut, Coffee, Frozen Pudding, Fruit Salad, Fudge Ripple, Lemon Stick, Macaroon, Maple Walnut, Mocha Chip, Orange-Pineapple, Peach, Peanut Brittle, Pecan Brittle, Peppermint Stick, Pineapple, Pistachio, Strawberry, Strawberry Ripple, and Vanilla​

The founder struck gold after WWII when he was able to lock up deals on travel plazas on most expressways in the Northeast into Chicagoland.

HoJoLand.com

Tribute site to Howard Johnson's Restaurants. Find out what's new under the orange roof!

www.hojoland.com

In the late 70s, new owners decided the HoJo brand should focus on hotels and they converted many of the restaurants into a new brand called Ground Round.

​

I went to the last one in New England (Bangor) a week before it closed in 2016

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View attachment 555324

I don't believe I ever went to Howard Johnson's.

But I was walking in the, uh, Fenway area the other day and remember that one. I think it had been there forever.

This area of town (I used to live on Park Drive and knew the neighborhood well) has changed a great deal over the past thirty years. I lived there in the 90s. There was a Christie's (I think), a package store and a laundromat. And there was a Star Market.

That was it.

Rest in peace, HOJO.

 

[GordonHowe]

Although I've heard the name a lot from when I was a kid, I don't believe I ever went to one. We did go to a Ground Round though way back in the day (mid-90s at least), I never realized that Ground Rounds were a Howard Johnsons brand.

Let's not get silly with the nostalgia, but remember The Magic Pan? I think there was one on Boylston back in the early 80s.

 

[BourqueFromORRk4277]

As a child we lived in Littleton MA. We did not have much money. On our birthdays we could either have a small birthday with kids at our house (cake and ice cream and pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey kind of games) OR go to Howard Johnson's restaurant in Chelmsford for fried clams (no bellies) and ice cream.

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I just spent a couple of days at my sister's house in Williamstown MA (JUST got home... 3 hour drive) There is a Howard Johnson's hotel there
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Ha, I grew up there as well. We'd go to Pizza Hut in Acton, or Chuck E Cheese's for our birthdays if we went somewhere, but we did go to Hojos to eat sometimes. My biggest HoJo's memory is from 1978 when we stayed at the Orlando HoJo's Motor Lodge when my folk's brought us to Disney World when I was a kid.
As for the Ice Cream, Kimball's Farm beats HoJos any day.

 

[jgatie]

Let's not get silly with the nostalgia, but remember The Magic Pan? I think there was one on Boylston back in the early 80s.

That was my go to birthday dinner place when I was yute.

 

[Ladyfan]

Ha, I grew up there as well. We'd go to Pizza Hut in Acton, or Chuck E Cheese's for our birthdays if we went somewhere, but we did go to Hojos to eat sometimes. My biggest HoJo's memory is from 1978 when we stayed at the Orlando HoJo's Motor Lodge when my folk's brought us to Disney World when I was a kid.
As for the Ice Cream, Kimball's Farm beats HoJos any day.

Well, I am a bit older. Kimball's has been there since my Mom was a kid. I used to ride my horse to Kimballs....she liked ice cream too.

Now the Kimballs in Westford is huge. When I was a child the ice cream stand was part of the house and the barn (when the stand is now) actually had cows.