Howard Johnson's Archives

Howard Johnson’s counter at 6123 Market St. From Howard Johnson’s *Scoop* Anniversary Issue 1955 p. 13

Remember the distinctive orange roofs of Howard Johnson’s restaurants? Clam strips? The Ho-Jo’s 3-D cheeseburger? Twenty-eight flavors of ice cream? This week, the last Howard Johnson’s restaurant in the country, in Lake George, New York in the Adirondack region, closed its doors. Looking for a business opportunity. The 7500 square foot property is listed for the astronomical price of $10 (not a typo)!

The restaurant on Market Street in Youngstown opened in 1951 and was owned by Harry G. Barmeier. I remember times in high school and college meeting up with friends at the Market Street restaurant. At one time, they also had restaurants that I know of on Belmont Avenue, with an attached hotel, and in Austintown, as well as on Route 422 in the Niles area. Some of these were eventually purchased by other restaurants. I don’t know when Howard Johnson’s ceased in Youngstown, but I would guess during the 1980’s when a number of businesses closed in the wake of mill closures and competition.

My favorite memories of Howard Johnson’s were on trips I took with my grandparents on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. At one time, Howard Johnson’s had the rights to operate restaurants at the rest stops on the Turnpike (I believe that was also the case on the Ohio Turnpike at one time). I remember climbing into their padded booths, opening what looked like a gigantic menu with a gazillion choices. Many times, I would order the cheeseburger plate with a pile of fries and coleslaw. According to a 1964 menu, that would have cost $.85. I found Sometimes I would try the clam strips, which we would never have at home, dipping them in clam sauce. A side of these cost $.75. My grandfather loved to get the clam chowder, a bowl costing $.45. Then you could finish off the dinner choosing one of the twenty-eight flavors of ice cream, a serving costing just a quarter.

The chain’s heyday was the 1950’s and 1960’s when they eventually operated over one thousand restaurants, including the Ground Round brand. They were one of the first to pioneer the idea of a standard menu you could count on coast to coast. Then other national chains arose, from fast food places like McDonalds to sit down family restaurants like Denney’s, Friendly’s, Applebee’s, and others. Howard Johnson’s failed to update its menus.

The Howard Johnson’s name is still alive as part of the Wyndham Hotel chain. About 300 motor lodges, inns and hotels still bear the Howard Johnson name. The news of the closing of the last HoJo’s restaurant brought back those rich childhood memories. What were your memories of Howard Johnson’s?

To read other posts in the Growing Up in Working Class Youngstown series, just click “On Youngstown.” Enjoy!

ohio turnpike

One of my summer memories growing up was piling into my grandpa’s Impala with my dad and brother, and getting on the Ohio Turnpike at the Mahoning Avenue exit (before I-680 and I-76) and driving to Cleveland for an Indians game. I think it was my first time on the Turnpike and the first time I had ever been a car going that fast. The speed limit then (and now) was 70 miles per hour and I couldn’t believe how quickly the scenery whizzed by.

This was still in the early days of the Interstate system, so when we got off on Route 14 (Broadway) we still had a long ride on surface roads to get to downtown Cleveland. We stopped along the way at a bar and got a really good dinner. As I remember, the Indians won that night on a home run by Leon “Daddy Wags” Wagner.

Before the Ohio Turnpike, the trip would have been even longer, taking Mahoning Avenue (Route 18) to the intersection with Route 14, or, if you were further north, taking Route 422 into Cleveland. Turnpikes were among the first limited access roads modeled on the European autobahns that allowed rapid travel across country as automobiles grew in size, comfort and power after World War II. Years later, with connecting freeways, I was able to commute from Maple Heights, outside Cleveland where we lived for a time, to Youngstown in under an hour. I think I remember the tolls being $.55 each way. That has changed.

I went on lots of trips with my grandfather when I was young, many on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, which was built earlier than the Ohio Turnpike. Two things I remember: Howard Johnson’s and tunnels. I would love it when we would stop at a Howard Johnson’s for a burger and fries and some ice cream. Tunnels were another thing and kinda scary, at least the first time we went through one. I always remember the trip we took to Gettysburg and Lancaster as a kid–lots of tunnels and a few stops at HoJo’s on the way–they had a monopoly on rest areas on the turnpikes back then.

Back to the Ohio Turnpike. When we were first married, my wife and I lived in Toledo. Once again, the Ohio Turnpike was the way back home to visit our parents, and we did it quite a bit over the four years we lived there. It was about a three hour trip, particularly when speed limits were lowered during the Carter administration to 55 miles per hour. It was hard not to push that but the Ohio Highway Patrol was notorious for ticketing. Perhaps one of the most harrowing of winter drives was returning home in a blizzard with large snow flakes coming straight at the windshield–very disorienting–I think we followed a semi most of the way back and were glad the driver didn’t go off the road because we would have followed him.

During the 70’s and 80’s we kept hearing that the Ohio Turnpike would go toll-free when they retired the debts for its construction. Somehow, that never happened and tolls were raised to fund upgrades and additional interchanges to the original eighteen. Since 2009, the Ohio Turnpike has joined the system of tollroads using EZ-Pass compatible systems. Now it costs $12.25 to go from one end of the Turnpike to the other with an EZ-Pass and $17.75 without one. Generally, I’ve found it is one of the best maintained roads in the country on the rare instances we’ve used it in recent years and it would probably deteriorate if they ever took the tolls off.

One of the things the Turnpike did to Youngstown and other cities was to make them places people passed by rather than through. I have many friends, who when I mention growing up in Youngstown will say they’ve driven by there on the way to New York or other places east. Some may have stopped at hotels near exits south or north of town and for many, that seems to get as close to Youngstown as they get, unless I can persuade them of the good restaurants and places like Mill Creek Park and the Butler that are worth a visit. Most, instead of stopping at a local bar like we did going to Cleveland or a local restaurant, probably will stop at one of the chains. That’s one thing turnpikes and Interstates have changed.