We used to eat at the HoJo in Wytheville VA when I was a child. For breakfast, I always had oatmeal with sliced bananas, brown sugar and real cream. Theirs was the best!
I had a crew working in Florida. They found a HoJo’s in Jupiter that served all you can eat clams on I believe Tuesdays.
They took me one time........ they could put away mega quantities of fried clams.
The waitresses knew the boys from Tennessee and just kept hauling out the fried clams.
they had a sweetheart deal here in Illinois for many years where they were the only restaurant in them over-head oasis things on the high ways.
They were horrible. Bathrooms were nasty, food was nasty, and they knew it, and didn’t care. They were the only exit over the high-way.
But for some reason, I loved Sambo’s and Big Boys (which my wife hated).
The Howard Johnson’s in my hometown also had a motel.
As a kid I loved the pancakes. It’s been almost 50 years since I’ve had them but I can still taste them. I don’t know if it was the pancakes or the syrup, but nothing tastes like them today.
I last went to a Howard Johnson’s about 40 years ago. I just checked and they said my order would be right up.
How sad. I grew up within a couple of blocks of a great Howard Johnson's restaurant in Connecticut. The food and service was always fantastic. BEST ice cream I've ever tasted. The place was always crowded.
Great childhood memories. I wish the chain could have been saved somehow.
Bellyless clams. That is what they sold. Just goes to show that ANYTHING that can be breaded and fried will sell.