The final Howard Johnson’s Restaurant in America has closed.
The situation in Lake George, New York was for quite a few years the ultimate outpost in what was as soon as one of many nation’s largest restaurant chains, with a historical past going again to a single location in 1925. That one, in Quincy, Massachusetts, was described by the corporate as a “small, orange-roofed soda fountain.” Finally the look included the signature cupola with a Simple Simon and the Pieman weathervane on prime.
All of these components can nonetheless be seen on the situation that shuttered this week.
“When the motorist noticed a Howard Johnson’s, he knew precisely what to anticipate,” the RoadsideFans website noted. “With standardized menus and constructing designs, a Howard Johnson’s miles away felt as acquainted and comforting because the one again dwelling.”
At one time, the chain had about 1,000 restaurants ― many run by franchisees ― together with three iconic places within the coronary heart of Occasions Sq. together with quite a few motels. Nonetheless, the corporate fell on arduous instances within the latter a part of the twentieth century, with a number of possession modifications, franchise disputes and company breakups. Many places have been shuttered and the ultimate Occasions Sq. location ― just under a strip membership ― closed in 2005.
The unofficial HoJoLand offers a more detailed history.
Many of the different places fared no higher, with the chain fading out as places closed. The second-to-last HoJo restaurant shut its doorways in 2016.
The Yelp reviews of the Lake George location advised that the restaurant hadn’t precisely been on the prime of its recreation in recent times. One known as it “a shell of its former self” whereas one other mentioned the “place has been going downhill for years.”
“For those who come right here anticipating these nostalgic recollections to return again, you can be disenchanted,” wrote one reviewer.
What was happening behind the scenes was even worse than what was left of the menu. In 2017, then-operator Jonathan LaRock was arrested, and greater than a dozen women and girls ranging in age from 14 to 43 complained of harassment together with undesirable touching, the Albany Times Union reported.
LaRock was sentenced to six months in jail and a new operator took over. In recent times, the restaurant has had inconsistent hours and prolonged closures.
The situation is now listed for $10 on a local real estate website, which famous it may very well be “transformed into a big showroom, flagship retailer, or used as is.”
Whereas the eating places aren’t any extra, the motels nonetheless exist as a part of a distinct firm. Wyndham at present owns and operates nearly 300 Howard Johnson Hotels.
