Free Republic

BANGOR, Maine -- The orange roof is long gone and the Simple Simon plaque is history. The famous 28 flavors of ice cream have dwindled to 16 varieties. But at least the Howard Johnson name sits atop the building, which is a lot more than hundreds of one-time Howard Johnson eateries can say. The venerable chain once had more than 800 restaurants from coast to coast, but these days you can count them on two hands.