Why America Stopped Eating at Howard Johnson's

For millions of American families travelling the turnpikes in the 1960s and 70s, that glowing orange tile roof meant warm fried clams, 28 rich ice cream flavors, and a comforting place to rest after a long day behind the wheel. In 1979, Howard Johnson’s was a roadside empire of 1,040 locations serving more meals than anyone except the U.S. Army—yet by 2022, that number quietly reached zero. What are your fondest memories under the orange roof? What flavor did you always order, and who was sitting across the booth from you? Share your family memories in the comments below. -- TIMESTAMPS -- 00:00 - Memories of the Orange Roof 01:25 - The 28-Flavor Beginning 02:27 - Building America’s First Franchise 03:31 - The Highway Monopoly 04:17 - When the Highways Moved 05:35 - Refusing to Adapt 07:28 - Wall Street & Corporate Buyouts 10:12 - The Franchisees' Last Stand 12:16 - From 1,040 to Zero 13:17 - What Howard Johnson Left Behind -- FOOTAGE & ARCHIVAL CREDITS -- Historical & archival media sourced from the Public Domain and Creative Commons via Wikimedia Commons & the Internet Archive. Creative Commons Attributions: Christopher Ziemnowicz (CZmarlin) (CC BY-SA 4.0) Kenneth C. Zirkel (CC BY-SA 4.0, CC BY 4.0) Tudor Washington Collins (CC BY 4.0) Issac I Navarro (CC BY 4.0) TMRQld (CC BY 3.0) Jennifer Rafieyan (CC BY 2.0) Robert Rynerson (CC BY 2.0) Florida Keys--Public Libraries (CC BY 2.0) Archives New Zealand (CC BY 2.0) w.marsh (CC BY 2.0) TANAKA Juuyoh (CC BY 2.0) Riley (CC BY 2.0) Mobilus In Mobili (CC BY-SA 2.0) Ben Schumin (CC BY-SA 2.0) cbgrfx123 (CC BY-SA 2.0) Ken Lund (CC BY-SA 2.0) Glenn (CC BY-SA 2.0) Joe Haupt (CC BY-SA 2.0) Housing Works Thrift Shops (CC BY-SA 2.0) alex lines (CC BY-SA 2.0)