Howard Johnson Restaurant

Does anyone know of any Howard Johnson restaurants in Illinois or Indiana that still serve their clam strips and have ice cream available.

thanks for all your help.

fml1943

The last I heard the only Howard Johnson's restaurants still open were in Lake Placid, New York and Waterbury, Connecticut.

Only three left, Lake Placid and Lake George NY and Bangor Maine. The Waterbury Howard Johnson sadly got their HoJo affiliation taken away, signs etc., but said they're keeping their menu the same. I liked stopping there the last few years...

Terrible! The end of an era. Growing up in NY and travelling the NY, NJ. and Pa. areas as a young salesman, I almost always made it a point to stop at a Howard Johnson's at mealtimes. To this day I can remember the wonderful flavor of their fried clam sandwiches.
And, Pistachio ice cream for dessert was a must.

Never forget when we were in Springfield,Illinois,and ate at Howard Johnson's,which was across the street from a funeral home.
Everyone in the family thought that was funny.We were coming from Alaska and headed towards Maryland,since my dad got sent to Fort George Meade,Md
by the AirForce.He was going to be working at NSA.
We had Howard Johnson's around here,but they are all gone,many moons ago.
There was even a TeePee Motel and steakhouse on Austin Hwy.in San Antonio,both disappeared in the late 1980s or early 1990s.
Saw somewhere an article about the TeePee Motel in Wharton,Tx which has been restored.

quote:

Originally posted by MacTAC

The Waterbury Howard Johnson sadly got their HoJo affiliation taken away, signs etc., but said they're keeping their menu the same. I liked stopping there the last few years...

Sadly and even worse, they just failed their health and sanitation inspection. I have seen their mac & cheese in the freezer section at the grocery store. I did not look too hard but I bet that the clam strips would be available.

mark

In addition to what I wrote above, I also remember their wonderful hot dog in a buttered "split New England bun".
And, while travelling as a young salesman, I also stayed in their motels as well.

An interesting site devoted to Howard Johnson's.
http://www.roadsidefans.com/hojo.html

The largest HoJo's restaurant was on Queens Blvd in the borough of Queens in New York City. Early in his career, Jacques Pepin flipped burgers there. Later he moved on to their commissary and test kitchens.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/28/opinion/28pepin.html
http://www.queenspix.com/rpthumbnails/nsidequeensbd_junction0071.jpg

quote:

Originally posted by doggydaddy

Originally posted by MacTAC

The Waterbury Howard Johnson sadly got their HoJo affiliation taken away, signs etc., but said they're keeping their menu the same. I liked stopping there the last few years...

Sadly and even worse, they just failed their health and sanitation inspection. I have seen their mac & cheese in the freezer section at the grocery store. I did not look too hard but I bet that the clam strips would be available.


while we're on the subject has anyone tried Singleton's frozen clam strips? They're not bad.

I grew up with a Hojo's about a mile from my house. They were a good chain.

The Waterbury Ho-Jo closed a few months ago

My first job was at a HoJos in Albany NY
I made $3.35 per hour washing dishes and busing tables.
Good times!!!

Big Hank,
In 1963 I jumped from $1.25 to $1.35 an hour when I became the grill & deep Fryer guy at our local HoJo's on I-95 in Rowley Mass.

I was always surprised at the number of folks who would drive out to HoJo's to get clam strips instead of the whole-bellied clams found in all the good North Shore Seafood shacks. McIntyres was less than 2 miles from the HoJo's!

What a memory!!I learned to love clams here in the Midwest because of HoJos.I think I was 7 at the time.And the ice cream served in chilled metal bowls was an extra treat.

Ann,
The sound of the silver of a spoon scraping across one of those metal ice cream 'bowls' was like a cross between fingernails on a chalkboard and teeth-jarring nerve-racking screeching to me. Lord that would cause me to shudder for a long time...