The last Howard Johnson's Restaurant has closed...

jujube

jujube

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I think I'm in Florida, but I'm not sure any more.
The Lake George, NY, location was the last in operation and has closed.

Bummer, now where am I going to go on Friday nights to get the all-you-can-eat fried rubber bands that masqueraded as "clam strips"?

Honestly, many years ago we used to go there at least one Friday night a month. We thought that was "good seafood"...LOL.
 

Hey, don't dis my Clam Rolls! :ROFLMAO: My father was in sales and sometimes he would take us with him on trips when I was a kid. We would frequently eat at HoJo's and I would always order the Clam Roll. I can still taste it!

Now I eat grains, kale and salads to stay healthy, but I would give my right arm for a HoJo's Clam Roll!

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I ate there the last time I was in L/George .... the food wasn't very good at all. My buddy's wife said something to the manager about it ......... and the fight was on [so to speak] She is one of those that wont back down from a Grizzly Bear. I no longer remember the details but ......... we did get our money back.

I started a new bad habit that night ........ I bought a few of those Ender's peppermints , back at the room , I ate two of those while sipping a bit of Crown ......... daymummmm is that ever a good combination. Who'd-a thunk it ..... Chocolate, peppermint & Whisky.
 
Alligatorob said:
Still a Howard Johnson's motel less than a mile from my house. Maybe the last?

Pretty seedy place, stayed there one night while our house was being worked on. Think it would have been better to sleep in the truck...
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How did this chain go so far downhill. We ended up in one we’d booked online. The location was great, the hotel wasn’t.
 
I loved Howard Johnson's! Especially the clam rolls so don't make fun of them. When I was a kid middle class folks drove to their vacation destination so we would stop at Howard Johnson's for a break, a rest stop and to stretch our legs as well as getting out of a hot car with no AC. Even in college my dates would sometimes take me to a Howard Johnson's nearby for an after date snack. It was affordable for students on a budget.

They went downhill in a hurry in the eighties after Connie Francis was sexually assaulted in a Hojo's hotel and their descent was steep and swift after that. :confused:
 
I remember all the hype about Howard Johnsons and their 21 flavors of ice cream years ago. I think my family went there once, and I remember a lot of, "Ooooh. Look at us eating at Howard Johnsons," but as a kid, I wasn't impressed. Chicago was building it's first interstate tollroad, and every rest area had a Howard Johnsons restaurant that spanned 6 lanes of traffic that had to pass under it. It was archectually exciting at the time, but that was the only impressive thing about it to me. I was probably 10 or 12. Maybe the 21 flavors was most impressive. Nowdays you can find that many flavors at some of those local in and outs that sell gas and groceries.
 
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Howard Johnson's also used to have a chain of hotels. There was one is a city about 60 miles east of us. I had called to reserve a room for our honeymoon in 1966. Raining that evening. Ornery kids has smeared my windshield with Vaseline. I had "dumps" on the exhaust of my '59 Impala. (Easy to pull the caps off and run straight exhaust.) Those same ornery kids had removed the caps from my dumps so the car was extremely loud. There we went with strings of tin cans dragging behind the car. Straight pipes. And, having to stop every few miles to try to wipe some more of the smearing Vaseline off the windshield so we could see through the rain.

Arrived at the Howard Johnson's as planned. Still dressed in my suit, explained to the desk clerk we were just married. He looked out and saw the remains of white shoe polish lettering on the car. Asked if we would like the bridal suite. Huh?? Told him we didn't have much money. Said he would give it to us at no additional charge. Enjoyed 3 days/nights there. Lots for two kids to see in the city so had lots of fun. We "might have" stolen a Howard Johnson's ashtray from the room as a keepsake!!
 
dseag2 said:
Hey, don't dis my Clam Rolls! :ROFLMAO: My father was in sales and sometimes he would take us with him on trips when I was a kid. We would frequently eat at HoJo's and I would always order the Clam Roll. I can still taste it!

Now I eat grains, kale and salads to stay healthy, but I would give my right arm for a HoJo's Clam Roll!

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Double ditto for us, dseag2...we were just talking about this - nothing better and sad to see the last icon for them disappear. Many happy memories at HOJO's
 
I have fond memories of my family stopping at HoJos for ice cream a few times each summer. When my father would pull in the parking lot, it felt like Christmas morning. We kids would stare at the wall that listed their current 28 flavors listed. So hard to make a decision, but I often went with my favorite: mint chip.
 
Jules said:
How did this chain go so far downhill. We ended up in one we’d booked online. The location was great, the hotel wasn’t.
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I just think they failed to change with the times. I've stayed at a Holiday Inn Express that had a modern lobby, space efficient room and a small cafe that sold fresh meals like salads. What I remember about Howard Johnson's hotel rooms were the vaulted ceilings with the wood beams. I thought that was so cool at the time.
 


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