“From Beloved Beacon to Forgotten Relic: Unraveling the Astonishing Decline of Howard Johnson’s Empire”
Ever wondered how a little restaurant could go from being the second-largest supplier of meals in America—only behind the good ol’ U.S. military—to virtually vanishing from our collective memory? Well, grab a scoop of your favorite ice cream flavor and buckle up, because we’re diving into the fascinating rollercoaster story of Howard Johnson’s! Born from the ambitious dreams of a middle school dropout named Howard Johnson, this iconic diner chain not only changed the way we think about eating out but also pioneered the restaurant franchising concept that’s everywhere today. Yet, despite its astronomical rise—over 1,000 locations at its peak—its dramatic decline is a testament to how swiftly fortunes can change in the food industry. So, why is it that most people under 30 think “Howard Johnson” is just a name on a decrepit highway sign? Let’s explore the whirlwind journey of a brand that went from corner pharmacy to American classic, and what ultimately led to its downfall. Are you ready to unearth some quirky facts and poignant missteps? Here we go! LEARN MORE.
In the modern world, if you step out your door and travel to neighboring cities or even countries, you’ll generally be greeted by a slew of familiar food related franchises for your respective region, with some of the most popular in the world today including McDonald’s, Subway, Starbucks, KFC, Dunkin, and the like. In all of these, with some small variation, you’ll be able to get the staple food and beverage items from those restaurants you can get anywhere else in the world at the same branded establishment. But it was not always this way. In fact, this has been a relatively recent phenomenon in the era of humans humaning. And before all these better known restaurant chains today, there was one that kicked it all off that, for fascinating reasons, managed to go from 1 restaurant to the second largest supplier of meals outside of the home in America behind only the U.S. military, then even more rapidly disappeared from existence. In fact, despite their dominance through most of the 20th century, because of how rapid their fall was, you’ll be hard pressed to find anyone born after around the 1990’s who even remembers them at all, outside of perhaps recognizing the name from a small branch of Wyndham hotels. We are, of course, talking about Howard Johnson’s restaurants which introduced the world to the concept of restaurant franchising, spawning a now staple of the industry world wide. Here now, is the fascinating story of how Howard Johnson’s went from 0 to over 1000 locations and back to 0 in under a century.
