Howard Johnson's - where did it all go wrong?

It's funny how people give directions. Here in the U.K. You'll be told: take the second left after The Royal Oak, in the States it was: two blocks down from the Howard Johnsons then hang a left. 

Im pretty sure my first meal out over there was in a Howard Johnsons. 

I miss Wimpy Bars!

In the 1960s, my parents would take me out to dinner on many a Saturday night at the local Ho Jo's. Decent food, good prices, and it was one of the few places that had a kid's menu.

The other iconic chain I fondly recall from that time was Bob's Big Boy...

So (not having much familiarity with USA) what were these places?  Something a bit like Little Chef?   :-)

Eloise,

they were a chain of family restaurants (somewhat akin to an American Little Chef) and what was termed "motor lodge" or motel, so you could eat in the restaurant and some let you stay in their rooms.  They were distinguished by their orange tiled roofs.

Ho Jo's had both travel lodges with attached restaurants, as well as standalone restaurants. In the 50s and 60s, they developed a solid reputation for being "family friendly", and were considered a step up from fast food places like McD's.

Bob's was more of a burger and shake joint - big in the 60s and 70s. Many had drive-in sections where we ate in the car.

Apropos of nothing much in particular, Howard Johnson's features in the fifth season of the brilliant AMC series Mad Men (The Best TV Drama Ever™). One particular episode, in which Don and Megan take a road trip to upstate New York, Far Away Places, is both visually sumptuous and a superb piece of storytelling - it reminds me of a Max Ophuls movie, with its three separate but interconnected stories.

One word Macdonalds. They also didn't seem to change much and move with the times.

Lived in Michigan 20 years ago, can,t say I saw this chain, Big Bobs was around though.

A trip to a Ho Jos was a treasured moment as a kid...which with 5 of us, my parents could not often afford!

We "discovered" Howard J's on our 1980 USA trip, stayed in some of their Motels and had breakfast in many too. A midday stop allowed us to discover 2 things Rocky Road ice cream and that one portion was enough for at least 2. Very scrummy.

Howard Johnsons a welcome road stop in its day, both the restaurants & motels. A fond memory from the 60's, a roadside retreat when traveling with the family on a road trip to Cape Cod, New York, Washington D. C. ....... 

Last time I can recall eating at one was early 90's in the Plymouth/Kingston Massachusetts area. A quick search indicates that there a three located within a 50 mile radius of Seattle. It appears that the Wyndham Hotel Group now owned the hotel chain.

Where did all go wrong...... we no longer had the time to sit down and eat a meal on the road.....rush - rush - rush = fast food - drive up - drive away - eat while your moving. Just one therapy.....

Well, today we travelled back from Banff to Vernon and guess what ! 

.....looking for some place to eat, as we drove through Enderby, there, right in front of us was a Howard Johnson Lodge and Restauant.

we had a nice meal . Nothing special, but nice and very reasonably priced.

was this the last one referred to in the opening post ?

Don, the last of the Howard Johnson's chain is in Lake George, New York.

I think that the Howard Johnson Inn in Enderby BC is different and not part of the same group.  But pleased you had a good meal  anyway...

One of HoJo's claims to fame was 28 flavors of ice cream--unheard of bounty! Baskin Robbins with its 31 flavors and cheaper, stand-alone stores probably helped seal their fate.

My father described HoJo's as "consistent mediocrity". The food really wasn't all that good.

A related aside...I was recently watching a biography of Jacque Pepin. I was surprised to learn that he spent some time as an executive chef for HoJos tasked with improving the menu. Apparently Howard Johnson frequented a New York restaurant where Pepin was the chef and hired him. 

Richard Dane posted:

Don, the last of the Howard Johnson's chain is in Lake George, New York.

I think that the Howard Johnson Inn in Enderby BC is different and not part of the same group.  But pleased you had a good meal  anyway...

I think you must be right. Although the wi-fi was still  "HOJO".

The menu didn't have the Howard Johnson name on it, but I can't remember what the name actually was.

If it hadn't been for this thread we'd have gone to W&A...........not much choice in Enderby !

When we were on family trips HoJo and Big Bob, plus House of Pancakes. Dad did some long driving trips with 3 of us in the back.

 It was imperitive to drive down the main street with all the new motels and neon signs and find the one with best pool.  Yes it was mediocre food but clean and reasonably priced.  I always splurged on the battered Shrimp, mmmmm good, that crispy outer and shrimp inside with spicy dipping sauce and a pile of skinny crispy fries. One  sister only had burgers, BORING!