Who Remembers HoJo Restaurants

[roadman65]

I always remembered in addition to the former motor lodges they all had a restaurant that had its own identity as well. Some were free standing without the motel, but all had 28 flavors of Ice Cream and fried clams.  Plus others that were great menu items.

I had one in my hometown of Clark, NJ.  My mom worked at the former Ho Jo in Springfield, NJ on US 22, so I had a good recollection of the establishment.

[SP Cook]

To put this somewhat "on topic" , Howard Johnson had the contract for the three service areas on the WV Turnpike for about 10 years in the 80s.  The places were originally called "The Glass House"  and when that deal was up, they became Howard Johnson.  In the 4 lane upgrade of the road the building were torn down and replaced with food court type deals. 

[abefroman329]

To put this somewhat "on topic" , Howard Johnson had the contract for the three service areas on the WV Turnpike for about 10 years in the 80s.  The places were originally called "The Glass House"  and when that deal was up, they became Howard Johnson.  In the 4 lane upgrade of the road the building were torn down and replaced with food court type deals.

And the Illinois Tollway Oases were Harvey Houses, then Howard Johnsons, then fast food outlets.

My dad managed a few HoJo restaurants along I-57 between Kankakee and Champaign in the mid-70s.

[snowc]

I always remembered in addition to the former motor lodges they all had a restaurant that had its own identity as well. Some were free standing without the motel, but all had 28 flavors of Ice Cream and fried clams.  Plus others that were great menu items.

I had one in my hometown of Clark, NJ.  My mom worked at the former Ho Jo in Springfield, NJ on US 22, so I had a good recollection of the establishment.

We had one (had) in Dunn NC. Right off of exit 72. Closed in 1990 and became Brass Lantern, which closed in 2020 as lease was up. Now owned by the state! 

and i mean this one. 

[SectorZ]

I used to go to one as a kid. I want to say it was in Woburn but I am not 100% sure.

I think it must have been this, http://www.highwayhost.org/Massachusetts/Boston/Woburn-Stoneham/woburn11.html

[hbelkins]

Absolutely. Often attached to the motel of the same chain name, and the did have good ice cream. We stayed at Holiday Inns and HoJos on most of my childhood trips, and we often ate at the HoJo restaurant at the motel.

[snowc]

Absolutely. Often attached to the motel of the same chain name, and the did have good ice cream. We stayed at Holiday Inns and HoJos on most of my childhood trips, and we often ate at the HoJo restaurant at the motel.

And Holiday Inn was right across the street. For a time in the 90s. Turned in Best Western and then demolished (as it was getting )

[1995hoo]

Back in the 1970s, on trips to and from New York we routinely stopped at the Howard Johnson just south of the old toll plaza at the southern end of the Jersey Turnpike.

I believe there is one restaurant remaining in Lake George, New York, although it doesn't have the distinctive orange roof.

[Flint1979]

I remember Howard Johnson's well. I used to dine at the one on State Street in Saginaw, Michigan on a daily basis in High School. It closed in April 1997 and was a very popular place. It closed because the owner didn't want to update the place. It was open 24 hours and was busy all the time, it's too bad it had to close. A Burger King sits in it's spot now.

[abefroman329]

Back in the 1970s, on trips to and from New York we routinely stopped at the Howard Johnson just south of the old toll plaza at the southern end of the Jersey Turnpike.

I believe there is one restaurant remaining in Lake George, New York, although it doesn't have the distinctive orange roof.

It looks like it's still open, although it's pretty much a HJINO at this point.

[MikieTimT]

Dangit!  Now I want fried clams for supper!

[jp the roadgeek]

This used to be one.  Also had a motor lodge.  It became a Bickford's, then a diner, a southwest place, a sports bar, and is now a bbq place.  If you look at GSV over the years, you can see the last 3 restaurants, and remnants of the old A-frame roof on the motor lodge.  There was one not too far from here in Waterbury, CT  that lasted until about 15 years ago. It had closed by 2008, and the building was torn down between 2018 and now. 
Now I have a hankering for some mac + cheese, chicken croquets, and mint chocolate chip ice cream.   

[Takumi]

Never went to one, but the one on Afton Mountain in Virginia is still sitting abandoned.

[dlsterner]

Definitely remember them!  As a kid on family trips (early to mid 1970s), although we preferred staying at Holiday Inns, we would sometimes venture to a Howard Johnsons, Ramada Inn, or Days Inn if the location was better, or if it was significantly cheaper, or whatever reason.  Back then, all those chains had attached restaurants (otherwise we would not have stayed there).

And I do fondly remember the fried clam strips at the HJ restaurants as well!

[Rothman]

There was one in Hadley, MA and then wasn't the one in Lake George, NY one of the last?

[1995hoo]

There was one in Hadley, MA and then wasn't the one in Lake George, NY one of the last?

Back in the 1970s, on trips to and from New York we routinely stopped at the Howard Johnson just south of the old toll plaza at the southern end of the Jersey Turnpike.

I believe there is one restaurant remaining in Lake George, New York, although it doesn't have the distinctive orange roof.

[Road Hog]

Never been to a HoJo restaurant, but I remember the HoJo hotel in Lawton had a nightclub called Fizz.

[jeffandnicole]

There was one I passed often going to college in Delaware in the 1990's, at the intersection of DE 2 & 7 (Kirkwood Hwy & Limestone Road).  Forget when it closed...but suffice to say it was long ago.

There was another one off I-95 on 896, which many people shunpiking the Delaware Turnpike tolls would've passed by.  That one held on a bit longer, and the building itself longer than that, but it's been gone for many years now.

Back in the 1970s, on trips to and from New York we routinely stopped at the Howard Johnson just south of the old toll plaza at the southern end of the Jersey Turnpike.

My mom worked at this one in the 1960's.

[Dirt Roads]

My favorite one was in Warrenton, Virginia at the main intersection of US-211, old Bypass (then) US-15/US-17/US-29 and Business US-211.  Looks like there's still a diner-type restaurant there, but I haven't been that far west in Warrenton for 20 years. 

I've never understood why US-211 wasn't truncated to this point.  Instead, US-211 continues along (now) Business US-17/US-29 and that allows Business US-211 to continue.  The both meet and officially end just a few hundred yards shy of the New Warrenton Bypass at the intersection of Blackwell Road and Lee Highway (if that name hasn't been changed yet).  For the record, Business US-15 is still stapled to the old route that also uses Blackwell Road.

[1995hoo]

^^^^

The Warrenton restaurant is now a Foster's Grille. DC-area burger chain that's perhaps a step up from standard fast food–it's conceptually more similar to Fuddrucker's in terms of how you order at the counter and then go take a seat and your food comes later. I've only eaten at Foster's once and it was at that Warrenton location en route to the Inn at Little Washington in 2020. It was decent.

[Henry]

I remember them very well, and it was probably the only place where you could sleep in your room at night and then eat at the restaurant the next day. But growing up in the 80s, I associated them with the Mets player of the same name who would torment my Cubs every chance he got. I'm sure he was a nice guy, but I despised his team with a passion like everyone else who didn't live in Queens (or anywhere else in the New York City/Long Island area, for that matter).

[catch22]

Back in the 1970s, on trips to and from New York we routinely stopped at the Howard Johnson just south of the old toll plaza at the southern end of the Jersey Turnpike.

I believe there is one restaurant remaining in Lake George, New York, although it doesn't have the distinctive orange roof.

Here's a photo I took of the Lake George location back in September 2017. Not sure of the current state of the restaurant.

[abefroman329]

Back in the 1970s, on trips to and from New York we routinely stopped at the Howard Johnson just south of the old toll plaza at the southern end of the Jersey Turnpike.

I believe there is one restaurant remaining in Lake George, New York, although it doesn't have the distinctive orange roof.

Here's a photo I took of the Lake George location back in September 2017. Not sure of the current state of the restaurant.

Apparently it looks much the same today, down to the 90s-era Howard Johnson's sign.

The weird thing is, the motel next door looks like it used to be a Howard Johnson, but now it's a Super 8, but apparently there is a Howard Johnson elsewhere in Lake George.

[Flint1979]

I worked at Howard Johnson's in Bay City when they re opened in around 1998ish for a little while. I think I might of worked there for about 3 months. The former building (now demolished) is on the Howard Johnson's wikipedia page.

[amroad17]

As a young child, my family would dine at the Howard Johnson's restaurant that was located on West Genesee Street in Fairmount, NY (located approximately where the McDonald is in front of Wegmans) at least once a month.  After moving to Chesapeake, VA, the Howard Johnson's on Richmond Road on the west end of Williamsburg was the place we would dine if we visited the Colonial section or the Pottery Factory.

There were others we dined at on family vacations, however, I cannot remember where they were located.