Posted on 04/28/2005 3:35:53 AM PDT by jolie560
WHEN word spread that the last Howard Johnson's restaurant in New York City, in Times Square, would probably close, there was something of an uproar. Though plans are uncertain, brokers say it is likely that a big retail chain will replace it. The idea that this icon of American dining will disappear from the city landscape made me particularly sad, since it was at Howard Johnson's that I completed my most valuable apprenticeship.
I had been in America only eight months when I started working at Howard Johnson's. I moved there from Le Pavillon, a temple of French haute cuisine, where I had been working since my arrival in the United States in 1959. Howard Johnson, who often ate at Le Pavillon, hired me and my fellow chef, Pierre Franey.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
interesting
Often went to the Red Coach with my family as a youth...eventually it became a Mexican restaurant.
(Perhap's that was an omen of things to come in America.)
HoJo was the origin of the Baskin-Robbins "31 flavors" company name because HoJo advertised "30 flavors of ice cream." So B-R came up with "31 flavors" to outdo them.
Howard Johnson was an innovator and transformed the restaurant biz in many ways, most unappreciated. For instance, Johnson bankrolled one of his short-order cooks in the development of the Fry-a-lator (now Pitco Frialator). Imagine no French fried potatoes or any of the other fast foods made possible by this simple machine.
OK, I'll admit to a sentimental attachment to HoJo, even though as long ago as the 60s their road food sucked: My mother and father met in the late 30s when the Old Man was managing a HoJos in Springfield, MA and Ma was waitressing there. Howard Johnson was still quite active in the business and would make the rounds of what was then a strictly regional operation.
The Old Man had nothing but good to say of him.
HJ was originally 28 flavors.
The HoJo in Times Square is like a trip back to 1977. A fascinating holdout against trends both good and bad, right down to the ugly orange shag carpet. It would be a shame to see it go -- it's always packed.
The company missed the fast-food revolution, but they laid the groundwork for it. Thanks to them, my kids can use relatively clean fastfood restrooms on long trips, rather than using a dirty gas station restroom. Remember those days? "Can I have the key for the bathroom?"
You got that right. They had the franchise on the PA Turnpike back then, and their joints made the average High School cafeteria seem like 4 star restaurant.
Oh yeah! Holding your nose and trying not to gag while taking a simple leak.
Ah, the good ol' days, eh?
You could drink three cups of what they euphemistically called coffee and still fall asleep behind the wheel two miles down the road.
Damn... I remember as a kid my mom used to drive us up to the HoJo's in Worcester, Mass (from CT) where we'd meet my grandparents for a trip up to NH. Haven't seen a HoJo's in ages. A shame they almost all gone.
"nytimes logon"
Hey, public service. Thanks.
Plus (IIRC) they once hired Jacques Chirac for a summer job.
The last one in VT is scheduled to close within the next month or so.
I threw up in there when I was a kid.
that's a great site:
www.bugmenot.com
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