Howard Johnson's

No, I'm not 80.

The ice cream came with some kind of wafer cookie.

The one in Times Square is probably the most famous and most photographed of any location in the world.

I remember them all too well.

Yes, Howard Johnson's was big in Massachusetts. A step up from IHOP. Great place. Fried clams, burgers and ice cream. Before we worried about everything we ate.

Howard Johnson's, or Howard Johnson by Wyndham, is an American chain of hotels and motels located primarily throughout the United States and Canada. It had also once been a chain of restaurants for over 90 years and name widely associated for that alone. Founded by Howard Deering Johnson, it was the largest restaurant chain in the U.S. throughout the 1960s and 1970s, with more than 1,000 combined company-owned and franchised outlets.

I hear their orange sherbet is good

Tell me again of the fried clams and silver tin dishes, pap-pap. Were blacks allowed in?

Okay, I've only known it to be a hotel chain that I never patronized.

The last restaurant closed in 2017.

The Times Square location got some good airtime in "Night Shift."

The hotels are now owned by Wyndham Hotels.

R1 and R7 seems like a real catch.

I remember two things vividly: chocolate lollipops that depicted local landmarks or historical events and the weirdly shaped ice cream scoops.

Am I imagining it or did they have a freezer near the cashier that sold toaster muffins?

R12 Your e-appraisal means so much to me. All over having your clams casino and sock hops jeered at. You're obviously the real catch here.

Clams Casino is a music producer, end of it. I'm just too young to be here.

R14 you have a lot of time on your hands queen

R15 bye

R16 Pot, meet silver tin dish

Hot Dogs, Boston Baked Beans & Brown Bread.

Lived on this stuff every summer when we visited relatives in the Boston Area.

Hot Dogs, Fries, Clams

Boston guy here and of course we remember Ho Jo’s as it’s properly called by the devotees . They had iconic toaster corn muffins, crispy fried clams, sundaes in stainless dishes, and of course the world famous macaroni and cheese. Another delight was the chicken croquettes in supreme sauce. So fucking good!

New England road trippers over 45 surely remember they were the only highway restaurants where we’d stop to eat and pee.

landmark for sleepy Americans:

Noirish:

HOJO"S! 🍛☕🍔🍻🍹🍧🍮🍲💤⛅🌞🌝🌚🌕🌖🌗🌘🌜

I went to HoJo's after I had been to see the naked men at the Gaiety.

What replaced the Times Square location?

[quote]New England road trippers over 45 surely remember they were the only highway restaurants where we’d stop to eat and pee.

Same goes for Jersey Boys, r21.

The all you could eat fried clams and the Welsh Rarebit

There is now an American Eagle store at the site of the former Times Square location (now razed)

The same Times Square building was of course home to the Gaiety male stripper theater, a wonderful memory of old New York.

Stopped there for lunch each year in the '60's in Flint Michigan off I-75 when driving with my grandparents from Cleveland to Traverse City. and of course the clam roll!

On our family road trips to Florida, these were to be avoided at all costs as where to stop to eat. They were gross & smelled bad, and the people inside smelled bad.

There was one instance where I was starving, and both my mom & sister had to pee, but EVERY EXIT ONLY had a Howard johnsons. We were so desperate we stopped and of course the disappointment ensued.

We all got back in the car, only to discover THE NEXT EXIT had a Burger King.

I now find it hilarious that these mishaps don't happen anymore due to map apps.

Love your story, R31. I grew up in Maryland and we had a few but my father refused to stop there for any kind of real meal (too tawdry and low-rent) but if one of us had to go to the bathroom he'd sigh and pull over at one. One time he let me get an ice cream cone and for reasons unknown I chose lime sherbet. God, I was hooked! So I'd beg my mother to take me on Friday afternoons when I got out of school early and I'd get a cone (unbeknownst to Dad). What a funny memory.

It’s now an American Eagle Outfitters r26

Training manual.....

The waitresses were required to be absolute dolls.....

Depending on the location, weren't they slightly nicer than Denny's.

Hot Dog box

Used to eat there every Friday evening in Louisville, Ky. I always got the fried clams but wasn’t there an all you can eat fried fish option also?

R40 ole auntie looks to be MTF!

Oh I'm a johnson girl alright.

{quote]Tell me again of the fried clams and silver tin dishes, pap-pap. Were blacks allowed in?

"Allowed" would not be my choice of words.

How strange OP, I remember exactly those things!

[quote]Did you ever go to Howard Johnson's?

No, but I've had Howard's johnson.

I worked at 3 locations on the PA turnpike in the 70's when ALL of the rest stops were Ho Jo's. We had to correct customers when they asked for a Coke or Pepsi and say that we only had Ho Jo Cola..

R1 R7 R14 R15 this little girl is why I like older guys

Don Draper took Meghan Draper to a HoJo's and made her eat ice cream she didn't want then they got into a fight and one left the other stranded there, don't remember which as I mostly have blocked out the Meghan years.

I'm a child of the 1960s so yes I remember HoJo's.

We'd sometimes go on that magical day in the week (Tuesdays, I think) where you could get the unlimited fried clam deal. My brother was famous for multiple orders.

Driving from Ohio to North Carolina in the late 60's we would stop on the PA turnpike to eat at Howard Johnsons, I would have the fried clams and their delicious cherry ice cream for desert.

Fuck you R1. Go back to fingering yourself in your mom’s basement, you nasty cunt.

Loved Ho-Jo! The clams and fish sandwiches were excellent.

Thank you R48. I flamed R1 earlier. 🔥

I run out of FFs SO quickly, r55. I really wish they'd formulate a Troll-Strength FLIT......

R48 Your daddy issues are of no interest to anyone. R15 is not me.

R55 You tried and failed. Nothing worse than a miserable old cunt than one without a sense of humor.

[quote]The same Times Square building was of course home to the Gaiety male stripper theater, a wonderful memory of old New York.

I miss The Gaiety but always found the seats sticky.

Every Friday night, the fish fry...Mamma was a Catholic, doncha know.

[R1} Well,, if you're lucky, you will be someday (and sooer than you think) … we are all 'soon to bes'..you just don't realize it yet.

As for HJ' (not nearly 80) but yes, HJ was wonderful! Their fired calms and hot dogs and rolls toasted in butter then stuffed with calms or a grilled hot dog...Heaven for a kid

My family lived in Boston and before my folks split we had a place on the Cape. HJ was central in our stays in MA. Also on the drive up to New England on the NJ Turnpike HJ restaurants ...we even stayed in HJ motels..Thanks for the stirring my wonderful child hood memories

Loved their hot dogs, because of the rolls. I loved their onion rings too, but I was wary of them because you never knew when you'd bite down on a rubbery fried clam that got mixed in with them.

My family never stopped there for the same reasons as r31 and r32.

one doesn't need to be 80 to remember HoJos. 50 and over is fine.

when I was a little boy we could go sometimes to them when we were on the road. Parents like it - cocktails. And the waitresses were great. Cocktails and driving. Those were the days I guess. It wasn't much different than Friendly's. Fried seafood. Was probably already industrial but for the time it was OK enough. Many of the restaurants were a bit "airy" rather than cramped, which was nice. Way back they they advertised they were "air conditioned" and I remember they were FREEZING which was a point of pride. Friendly's did that too. Women folk would bring in sweaters in the dog days of summer.

Ho Joe's would be a great name for a gay bar.

Has anyone stayed in one of the Howard Johnson's Wyndham hotels?

fried clams and chocolate ice cream? Fried clams a la mode doesn't sound very appetizing.

They had these pyramid shaped chicken croquettes. I wasn't an adventurous enough kid to try them

I remember eating at Howard Johnson's during road trips in the Midwest during the 60's and 70's, and also remember sitting in Howard Johnson's in Times Square in the 80's having milkshakes when I was in my 20's.

The little jukebox at the table

My family never went to Howard Johnsons when I was growing up, because they never went anywhere.

We did have one in the city I lived in though. For some reason I ended up at the bar in one the night before I took my SAT's in high school. The people I was with were friends of the manager, so we were in there partying way after hours. I ended up taking my SAT's half drunk. I still did pretty good, though.

I also remember a much younger friend of mine losing her virginity there to a much older skeevy guy who was in some band that was passing through town. She was not terribly bright as I recall.

R31 , You sound as exciting as a shit filled Depends They had Rest Areas , sure you know about THOSE. Also , Gulf , Texaco , Shell , Exxon and a variety of gas stations. Ever heard of Stuckey's ? Sorry , that HoJo's was tooooo low brow for you.

^^ June Allyson

R3 the Broadway and 46th location (last in the five boroughs) closed in July 2005.

OP, The secret to their tasty fried clams was the coating. They used corn starch instead of flour.

Was obsessed with the taffy in the case under the cash register table. And those mirrored tiles with the intentionally scratch patterns on them.

I can remember wearing my jammies to get Ice Cream at night. Then in the morning get the Scrambled eggs with diced ham . The rooms were always rather large , with white tufted headboards and two sinks. Of all the companies that have folded over the years , I miss them most .

When I was growing up in the 70's in the Dallas area, I don't think we ever ate at a HoJo's - in fact I don't think I've ever eaten at one. I think my family thought it was too Yankee.

"Has anyone stayed in one of the Howard Johnson's Wyndham hotels?"

Not lately, but I've read enough reviews on Trip Advisor to avoid like the plague, i.e. mostly 1 star, a few 2 star properties. They're mostly 60's-70's era motels way past their useful economic life and existing on a shoestring. You get what you pay for, and if you're paying for $40.00-$50.00 a night, you can be assured the place is a dump.

I worked a summer at a Ho Jo's motel. The franchisee was a business acquaintance of my father's. Real nice place at the time, and employees could use the pool on their days off. Unfortunately, the franchisee retired and sold the property and it's now a strip mall.

Howard Johnson Jr. sold the chain for next to nothing , so he could play golf all day.

I remember by the cash register they also had a huge selection of Life Savers, butter rum was always my favorite.

My mother always ordered "Welsh Rabbit" which grossed us out until we figured out it wasn't rabbit and it was actually good.

And the menu we used to order off of.

This is R31 and I am totes uber tres sorry I offended Ho Jo Lovers. To be fair, my father had fond memories of their BUTTERY hot dogs. Alas, by the time our family hit the road on our annual trek to Florida, the delicious buttery hotdogs among other delicacies were just that...a memory. I am telling you, the place was filled with grubby plumbers crack sweat stained truckers. Just telling you like it was....

R83 types tragically young. Burger King barely existed when HoJo's was at its height.

[quote]R40 ole auntie looks to be MTF!

Beat me to it, R42!

I worked as a soda jerk at Ho Jos in Paramus, NJ after school and on weekends when I was a senior in the late 1960s. It was very hard work standing all night and scooping the frozen ice cream, especially for customers who wanted a hand-packed pint, or even 1/2 pint.

But I came to love working there. The waitresses all rooted for me as they knew I was saving up money to go off to college. I made lots of tips when those tour buses stopped in!

We were allowed to order a free dinner before we started our shift but only from the cheaper side of the menu. My favorites were the Open Face Turkey and Beef Sandwiches. And wasn't Ho Jos the first place to have those hot dog buns shaped like folded buttered toast?

We went to HoJo’s to eat once in a while when I was little. I was really surprised to find a HoJo’s restaurant still operating when I went to grad school in Vermont many many years later. After going out dancing, we’d go there to take care of late-night munchies.

R30 here.. as an addendum , I'm probably the only person on Earth who has fond memories of FLINT because I so looked forward to lunch there travelling with grandparents. My mother always "packed " a lunch when traveling by car with them. Yuck!

They used to be on the major interstates; many had connecting motels. A lot of them were open 24 hrs to accommodate travelers.

WYNDHAM owns the name.

There were Howard Johnson restaurants all over New England when I was growing up. But we always looked down our noses at the fried clams, popular as they were, because they were just clam "strips" and not whole-belly clams, which a true New Englander insists on.

The room service is tremendous!

Those prices

[quote]And wasn't Ho Jos the first place to have those hot dog buns shaped like folded buttered toast?

It was. They needed something that wouldn't tip over when filled with fried clams. I hate that I know that, but I read too much about them a couple of years ago before I ordered a pan to bake my own.

I always thought Friendly's was the more popular choice in New England (or at least in Massachusetts)?

R86 was the TOWN jerk. He attempted to sexually harass me by arranging the ice cream scoops in an obscene way.

There was another Howard Johnson's in Times Square catty-cornered to the one in R3's picture.

A retro version of HoJo's with the original menu (and new prices) in Times Square would make a fortune today.

There was one that spanned over a freeway in Oklahoma. As a kid in the 70's we stopped there a few times on our yearly trip from Michigan to Texas. It was neat watching the cars go under the building.

I always wanted to go when I was a kid, but my mother wouldn't indulge my desires. She thought it was too trashy. Well I showed her. That bitch never did buy me those cha-cha heels either.

Friendly's was where we'd go after soccer practice and other after-school activities. HoJo's was strictly for road trips and with grandparents who thought they'd placate the kids with ice cream while they ate liver and onions.

Man Alive, Only $2.45

I just loved the turquoise hounds' check uniforms the waitresses wore!

Pistachio ice cream. Drop the mic.

Menu with roadtrip directions written on it

Everyone had pistachio ice cream but only HoJo's had Swiss Mocha Almond Fudge and Pink Peppermint (with little red peppermint candies in it).

I started a similar restaurant called HoMos, but it never caught on.

Hogan's restaurant in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan was formerly a Howard Johnson's.

Why did they call them "hamburgs" and "frankforts?"

HoJo's didn't have much of a presence in the West. I remember when I was in college (early '70s) they opened one (restaurant only; no motel) near where my school was and it was a big deal to check out the place we'd heard and read so much about.

R104 When was that menu from?

The prices look like before the Civil War.

The HoJo's on the Asbury Park boardwalk is till there though it's now an independently owned restaurant and cabaret. And not very good, which is sad because it's such a great old well-preserved building in a fabulous location.

In the early 60's celebrity chef Jacques Pepin worked for HoJo developing their food lines.

Tuesdays, all the fried clams and french fries you could eat. And they were the most tender, delicious, melt in your mouth fried clams you could imagine. As a kid I tried to get to a second portion but I could never make it. As a young adult I would eat all the clams and bring a bag with me and when no one was looking dump the fries in the bag so it looked like I ate them and then ask for another portion of clams. I wasn't about to fill myself up with good, but average fries when I could eat those amazing clams.

They also had, all year round, peppermint stick ice cream, a beautiful large pink scoop of heaven with crunchy pieces of Christmas time peppermint sticks in it. My mouth is watering at the memory.

HoJo was the best. Always clean, always great real food at great prices and wonderful service.

I guess you can't give people that anymore without charging 100 bucks per person.

Certainly better than all those farm to table shit places that put tiny bits of good on plates with fucking tweezers and then charge 150 dollars for an appetizer.

The fried clams came out of the freezer and into the deep fryer. But they were delicious.

I worked at a Friendly's right off the Mass Pike and made so much money in tips during HS.

The HoJos we’d go to in New England were always clean and had excellent service. I loved the chocolate milkshakes and the buttery hot dog rolls. My grandmother always got maple walnut ice cream, so in my little kid mind, I thought maple walnut was meant for old people. Now that I am an old person, I don’t even know where to buy maple walnut anymore. It’s all Chubby Hubby and Americone Dream.

The chocolate lollipops with the HoJo logo were so visually appealing, but tasted like plastic. I was not adventurous enough for the chicken croquettes.

Wonderful memories.

The only clams I'll eat

I was just talking about Howard Johnson's earlier today. In the 1960s, when we drove from our home on Long Island to see my sister in Cleveland, we would stop at one of them on the NJ or Pennsylvania Turnpike for breakfast, where I would either get pancakes or cereal. We would stop again later on in Pennsylvania for lunch, where I likely got a hot dog -- known as a "frankfort." They also had cute little gift shops near the front of the restaurant.

[quote]There was one that spanned over a freeway in Oklahoma.

The Glass House in Vinita? We used to drive under it going to Illinois, but I don’t remember ever stopping there.

That's too bad R112 because it looks like a cool place.

Those hot dogs were so damn good.

I am an eldergay. But by the time I was in high school in the 1970s, they were already becoming scarcer around where I lived.

I remember going to one late at night in high school. Only one waitress, a sweet older lady with big hair, was on the floor, and the short order cook, a high school student, had burned his hand. As a result, the food was mediocre.

They had a cohesiveness to their branding and color scheme.

[quote]And they were the most tender, delicious, melt in your mouth fried clams you could imagine.

Nostalgia is adorable.

Better than a Denny's. The turnpike ones often were awfil--esp. on the Mass Pike.

[quote]A retro version of HoJo's with the original menu (and new prices) in Times Square would make a fortune today.

Agree, if Juniors can have 2 Times Sq locations HoJo's would be cool. Except the $1.99 all you can eat Wed & Fri Fish Fry would be $29.99

Definitely in the mood for some of those clams, fries and a chocolate milkshake.

You can thank Jacques Pepin for some of the HoJo yumminess in the 60's - here is the clam chowder recipe he developed for the chain

There was one in my hometown, right off Route 93 near the MA/NH border. I had good memories of tasty fish and chips, fried clams, hamburgs, and milkshakes. It was also a popular spot for the AA group to go to after the meetings were over.

There’s a photo of HoJos on the space station.

Here’s the Spacestation lounge. Nice view!

Isn't Howard Johnson's motel chain the one that Ray Charles always stayed at all across the USA? He could afford better, but liked the fact that every room in every one of the motels was always the same, so he knew where each piece of furniture would be & didn't stumble into things.

And Rachael Ray worked as a soda jerk at Howard Johnson's when she was a teenager -- her mother managed one or more of the restaurants in NY state.

[quote]Definitely in the mood for some of those clams, fries and a chocolate milkshake.

Always, R128 -- American cuisine at its best (if that's the word I want).

Another vote for the Peppermint Stick ice cream!

There was one by the Cape Cod Canal that I recall, as well as the one off I-95 in RI not long after leaving CT.

I did as a young boy of 9 (now in my mid sixties. I was one of only a few motels in those times. My parents wanted a pool for the kids.

The Howard Johnson Hotel in Anaheim, California is popular because it's right across the street from Disneyland. And it has a large water play area with a pirate theme. But no Howard Johnson restuarant. It's a Mimi's Cafe now (which is better anyway).

My husband and I ate at the Times Square location on its closing night

There's still one left. In Lake George, New York

Miss it.

they were mostly gone by the time i was born. i remember asking if we could eat at one when i was a little kid and my mom said it was for white trash.

In the early 80s I worked at one in n. fla that was straight out of 1962. It had been meticulously maintained and was like a time capsule. its long been a hot sheet motel now and looks nothing like it did back then.

R140 your mom sounds lovely

Makes me all nostalgic.

Reminds me of road tripping with my grandparents in the '60s. They were such great people and loved us to pieces. We'd always stop at JoJo's or Stuckey's.

R138 there's another one in Tucson.

R143, there's a HoJo hotel there and other places (by Wyndham), but there are no other HoJo restaurants.

Eat Me

The orange roof was based on Mt. Vernon, as was the little tower on the roof. Shameless patriotic pandering.

If you live in Flyoverlandia, do you even know what a clam is much less ever eaten any?

R148 tragic when a grown man communicates like a little Kardashian girl

The food (1)

The food (2)

Dessert

The good people of Rock Ridge contributes so much to America.

[quote]they were mostly gone by the time i was born. i remember asking if we could eat at one when i was a little kid and my mom said it was for white trash.

So did you enjoy it?

^ LOL

You should never eat a clam more than an hour from the ocean.

You will die.

We had one in the New England town where I grew up. I do remember the hot dogs with the buttered toast looking rolls. It was still there in the 1980s and early 1990s, although I'm not sure if it was HoJos anymore. I do remember going there after the bars would close. They served breakfast until 4 am and the bar crowd would pack the place. They had great omelettes that seemed to stave off any hangover you may have developed the next day. Stopping there was a must after the bars closed. Man, those poor waitresses serving all those drunk people.

Tippi Hedren orders "A coffee and a frank!" when Sean Connery takes her to a Ho Jo's in "Marnie."

Did she really mean Sinatra?

HoJo's scene from Marnie (no clue why it's slo-mo).

R138 I went there as a kid - with my family on summer holiday, and on ski trips in Jr./Sr. HS.

But we wound up at HoJo's for hamburgers to go.

r150, what would a kardashian know about Mt. Vernon?

Fried clams with chocolate ice cream sound vile, OP. Are you a pregnant woman?

Our HoJos get the after bar crowd, competing with Denny's which had not yet slid into total drek, but still wasn't quite as good. I remmeber the buttered buns for the hot togs. They did a decent burger. The Ohio Turnpike ones were ok (better than the other vendor who had the western half of the turnpike) but the Mass Pike ones were memorably awful.

R165

I think it was a matter of the chocolate ice cream for dessert after a lunch of fried clams. I don't think they were consumed concurrently.

[quote] Fried clams with chocolate ice cream sound vile, OP. Are you a pregnant woman?

Don't forget the silver dish for the ice cream, R165.

Speak for yourself, R167 -- and don't knock it until you've tried it.

Don’t forget the orange sherbet!

Don't know why people are giving the poster a hard time for saying it was for white trash. It was! We had one in Maryland and it was in Wheaton which was white trash central. Never ate there but was curious whenever we drove by. Bob's Big a Boy was also on the white trashy side but I did love that place. The breakfast bar was the best!

I used to go to the one that used to be on Columbus circle in the olden days. It was on my home from school and yes, I always ordered fried clams and a lemonade. Their pies were pretty great too.

I remember a Ho Jo on 8th Avenue near the Adonis. Am I imagining this?

No. There was a Ho Jo’s hotel and restaurant on 8th Ave. in the high 40’s/low 50’s.

I loved the hamburgers. And they had great milkshakes that you could actually drink. Practically all the ones you get nowadays are so thick, you have to eat with a trowel.

I also loved their brownies, sold at the counter, individually wrapped in plastic. They were the best. Never had a better brownie.

It was greasy, fried food for a trashy country of middle class people with no taste. People who couldn't afford to go to France.

The two Hojo's I remember most clearly from my distant youth were off I-95 in southern Rhode Island, and the one by the Cape Cod Canal, neither was particularly trashy.

I hope it was just a bad photo, because the orange tint to that ice cream it does look nasty.

[quote] It was greasy, fried food for a trashy country of middle class people with no taste. People who couldn't afford to go to France.

Can't they just take a loan, Babe? From a bank or a credit union? I don't understand....

Lily Tomlin talking to Joan Rivers about waitressing at Howard Johnson's on 42nd Street at 3:18

There were three in Virginia that I know of—one in Alexandria, one in Falls Church, and one in Harrisonburg. They varied depending on who the franchisee was. The one in Falls Church actually turned into an Italian restaurant before my time, I’ve only seen pictures of it’s hojo incarnation. But I remember the Harrisonburg one being very clean and popular with the locals. I thought the Boston brown bread was disgusting, but liked the ice cream.

Gimme More

Life in America

R13, I remember the different shape of the ice cream scoops (kind of pyramid-ish instead of round, with a "ruffle" of ice cream around the bottom edge) too. My favorite ice cream flavor was caramel fudge.

When my family ate at HJ's - there was one in my small suburban city - I always got a hot dog. I loved how they were served, in a toasted roll split at the top, which was placed in a paper "holder." I also always ordered onion rings to go with my hot dog. Usually there were a few fried clams mixed in with the onion rings, which I ate a few of by accident. The clams were gross, with a texture like rubber bands.

Great. I've been trying to lose the 10-15lbs I've gained during quarantine. Now I'm googling where to get fried clams in my area.

Assholes.

Wednesday night was all you can eat spaghetti and Friday night was all you can each fish and clams.