Serving up nostalgia: Closure of New York Howard Johnson's marks the end for Quincy chain

Mary Whitfill, The Patriot Ledger
·3 min read

QUINCY – The country's last Howard Johnson's restaurant has closed in Lake George, New York, marking the end for the once-proud restaurant chain that started in Quincy more than 90 years ago.

The last of the eateries known for its fried clam strips, ice cream and other menu staples did not open for Memorial Day Weekend, and its 7,500-square-foot location is now for lease, the Albany Times Union reported Wednesday. Recent years have been tumultuous for the last HoJo's location, which closed in 2015 after its owner was arrested and reopened under a new owner who ran it the last several years.

The second-to-last location, in Bangor, Maine, closed in 2016.

For more than 90 years, the iconic orange-thatched roof of a Howard Johnson's restaurant was part of the landscape near and far, and happy memories of creamy ice cream, first dates, birthday parties, summer jobs and fried clam strips still endure.

The popular restaurant chain started in 1925, when Howard D. Johnson, in debt because of his father's business, opened a newspaper and ice cream shop on Beale Street in Quincy. Within a few years, there were at least a dozen Howard Johnson's ice cream stands in Massachusetts.

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Howard Johnson's soon became known for its 28 flavors of thick ice cream that had double the butterfat of most competitors' products.

At its height, the Quincy-based chain had nearly 1,000 locations throughout the United States. In 1953, the business opened its first motor lodge, in Savannah, Georgia, and in 1971, it crossed the northern border and opened a restaurant and motor lodge in Toronto.

Chris Spencer, of Quincy, has many relics from the old Howard Johnson's restaurants on display in his home.
Chris Spencer, of Quincy, has many relics from the old Howard Johnson's restaurants on display in his home.

The Howard Johnson Candy Factory opened in Wollaston in 1938. The company's ice cream was made on the first floor, the candy and bakery operations were on the second floor and the executive offices were on the third floor.

In 1965, the company added 22,000 square feet to the building, used exclusively for making candy and condiments. It was said that on the days when relish was made at the plant, the aroma would fill the neighborhood. The building also had an outlet store where its products were sold.

"A History of Howard Johnson's," by Anthony M. Sammarco.
"A History of Howard Johnson's," by Anthony M. Sammarco.

The 1970s brought hard times for the chain. The proliferation of other fast-food restaurants and changes in American tastes contributed to the beginning of the end for the chain, and by the 1980s, the company had been sold twice.

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The Wollaston factory closed in 1989 and sat empty for many years before a four-alarm fire severely damaged it in 1996. Today, the renovated building is part of Eastern Nazarene College's campus.

Howard Johnson's Candy Kitchen retail store at the intersection of Hancock Street and Billings Road in Quincy in 1933.
Howard Johnson's Candy Kitchen retail store at the intersection of Hancock Street and Billings Road in Quincy in 1933.

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Information from the Associated Press was used in this report. Reach Mary Whitfill at mwhitfill@patriotledger.com. 

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Closure of Howard Johnson's restaurant marks the end for Quincy chain