Article: Howard Johnson's restaurants ride into the twilight

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's 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.

Some fear that HoJo's and its trademark orange roofs, fried clams and timeless air will soon go the way of the Studebaker, a victim of modern times and increased competition. If that happens, an icon of American dining and one of the nation's first full-service restaurant chains ...

Related newspaper, magazine, and journal articles:

 
 
Newsweek Harper's Magazine The Washington Post Chicago Tribune Crain's Chicago Business PRNewswire Pediatric News The Nation Advertising Age The Economist (US) A FREE trial gives you access to over 80 million articles! Access over 6,500 publications with a FREE trial!