OT: It's a Sad Day: No More Ho Jo's

[RutgersMO]

America's last Howard Johnson's restaurant has closed | CNN

The last surviving Howard Johnson's restaurant has closed.

www.cnn.com

I remember the Howard Johnson's near my house in Brookdale Gardens, Bloomfield.

The guys would all congregate on Friday / or Saturday night and find out if you made it to first base. Circa 1965 a woman stood up in Howard Johnson's and announced she would marry any man who wanted the deferment that was ending by 11:59pm that night. We looked at the girl, and shrugged (she was plump, non descript....might have had a nice personality) and decided to take our chances.

Ho Jo's will be missed!

MO

 

[RUbacker]

America's last Howard Johnson's restaurant has closed | CNN

The last surviving Howard Johnson's restaurant has closed.

www.cnn.com

I remember the Howard Johnson's near my house in Brookdale Gardens, Bloomfield.

The guys would all congregate on Friday / or Saturday night and find out if you made it to first base. Circa 1965 a woman stood up in Howard Johnson's and announced she would marry any man who wanted the deferment that was ending by 11:59pm that night. We looked at the girl, and shrugged (she was plump, non descript....might have had a nice personality) and decided to take our chances.

Ho Jo's will be missed!

MO

Nah no one will miss ho jo‘s trust me

 

[DJ Spanky]

Wow, that really is the end of an era. I remember as a very little kid in the 70's we'd do these 2-3 week road trips in the summer to different parts of the country. Howard Johnson and Holiday Inn were staples on these trips.

 

[kapyoche]

Wasn't there one in Piscataway? We used to go there for ice cream late at night.
I think the Mets had a player named Howard Johnson. Hope he is still around.

 

[batts]

The ho Jos in Claymont Delaware was my go to place away from home while attending law school. A big breakfast consisting of two eggs, pancakes, toast, sausage and bacon would last me a whole day.

 

[WhiteBus]

Ho Jo's won't be missed, they have been crap since most of us were going in the 60s and early 70s.
When was the last time you all been in one???

 

[mdk01]

Wow, that really is the end of an era. I remember as a very little kid in the 70's we'd do these 2-3 week road trips in the summer to different parts of the country. Howard Johnson and Holiday Inn were staples on these trips.

That's the motels, which remain. Inexpensive and clean during those vacation trips in the 60s. The restaurants only existed because you were saying at a HoJos and didn't know the area.

 

[Plum Street]

Don Draper left his wife at one

 

[JDNB]

New Brunswick had one at 1 and 18.

 

[fsg2]

Honestly thought this happened 25 years ago.

 

[ashokan]

My first time with fried clams was in Pompano Beach when I was 12
Never had them that good since

 

[RU82]

That’s sad.

Howard Johnson’s is super iconic.

 

[bethlehemfan]

America's last Howard Johnson's restaurant has closed | CNN

The last surviving Howard Johnson's restaurant has closed.

www.cnn.com

I remember the Howard Johnson's near my house in Brookdale Gardens, Bloomfield.

The guys would all congregate on Friday / or Saturday night and find out if you made it to first base. Circa 1965 a woman stood up in Howard Johnson's and announced she would marry any man who wanted the deferment that was ending by 11:59pm that night. We looked at the girl, and shrugged (she was plump, non descript....might have had a nice personality) and decided to take our chances.

Ho Jo's will be missed!

MO

All you can eat clam strips and fish fillets! What could be better?

 

[Knight Shift]

The one on the Asbury Park boardwalk was quite unique.

 

[RutgersMO]

Ho Jo's won't be missed, they have been crap since most of us were going in the 60s and early 70s.
When was the last time you all been in one???

LOL definitely in the 60's ...and possibly sometime in the late 70's! But I've lived in CA since 1968 (after Graduation from RU) ....then onto Oregon in 2019 and now Washington 2021~

MO

 

[RU Golfer]

I believe Wyndham has still owns the "Howard Johnson" hotel naming rights.

 

[DirtyRU]

Rt. 17 in Paramus was our go-to Ho Jo's when I was a kid in the early to mid-80s. Dang, now ya got me thinking of some of the other long gone restaurants and food chains... The Ground Round, Roy Rogers (still at reststops but yeah), and how about TCBY?! They were huge! And then ya blinked and they were gone, seemingly just as fast as Blockbusters, ha. Steak and Ale was another. Bennigan's are hard to find these days. And how about Lone Star?! They had awesome fries in like a spicy pink sauce. And remember ShowBiz Pizza, the Chuck E. Cheese knockoff? Ha. And Chi-Chi's. Also, I had no idea that Don Pablo's had gone extinct. Just looked it up.

 

[RU Golfer]

Rt. 17 in Paramus was our go-to Ho Jo's when I was a kid in the early to mid-80s. Dang, now ya got me thinking of some of the other long gone restaurants and food chains... The Ground Round, Roy Rogers (still at reststops but yeah), and how about TCBY?! They were huge! And then ya blinked and they were gone, seemingly just as fast as Blockbusters, ha. Steak and Ale was another. Bennigan's are hard to find these days. And how about Lone Star?! They had awesome fries in like a spicy pink sauce. And remember ShowBiz Pizza, the Chuck E. Cheese knockoff? Ha. And Chi-Chi's. Also, I had no idea that Don Pablo's had gone extinct. Just looked it up.

That HoJo was on the south bound side correct? There is a Roy Rogers on Hooper Ave in brick. I remember all that you listed except Don Pablo's. Don't forget Ground Round and Beefsteak Charlie's.

 

[GoodOl'Rutgers]

Ft. Lauderdale for Spring Break.. HoJo's was a great spot...

 

[srru86]

The one on the Asbury Park boardwalk was quite unique.

Growing up in Monmouth County in the 1970s this was my introduction to Ho Jos. If the weather was nice and we had behaved in church on Sunday our treat was going to the Asbury Park boardwalk, hop on a few of the kiddie rides. Then if we still hadn't acted up, a maybe a grilled cheese lunch at Ho Jo.

Of course I did not realize how unique this location was in terms of the building until I got a little older.

 

[Knight Shift]

Growing up in Monmouth County in the 1970s this was my introduction to Ho Jos. If the weather was nice and we had behaved in church on Sunday our treat was going to the Asbury Park boardwalk, hop on a few of the kiddie rides. Then if we still hadn't acted up, a maybe a grilled cheese lunch at Ho Jo.

Of course I did not realize how unique this location was in terms of the building until I got a little older.

The building now is home to Tim McCloones Supper Club.

 

[RUBubba]

The one in Asbury Park was great... Never ate there, but while waiting in line for Springsteens Christmas Show, probably around 2000, we would run into the Ho Jo's and they would sell us beers and put them in big white styrofoam cups.

 

[RU Husky]

Route 1, North, Woodbridge in the 50's. Only positive I can offer is that they had great maple walnut ice cream.

Oh, I did spend a memorable night at the HJ Inn at intersection of Rt 18/RT 1 one Military Ball Weekend @1962.

 

[yesrutgers01]

All you can eat clam strips and fish fillets! What could be better?

That is my childhood. HoJo's was my Dad's favorite. Regardless of where we ever ate- Dad always got fried fish filets. So, the all you could eat was a weekly no brainer. I always got the clam strips and loved mixing the tarter sauce and ketchup to dip my fries into.

 

[RU-Kidding]

Route 1, North, Woodbridge in the 50's. Only positive I can offer is that they had great maple walnut ice cream.

Oh, I did spend a memorable night at the HJ Inn at intersection of Rt 18/RT 1 one Military Ball Weekend @1962.

My family use to go to the Ho Jo's off the GSP exit 135 circle in Clark during the late 60's. The clam strips and choice of 28 ice cream flavors made it a favorite place as a kid back then.

 

[29PAS]

Route 1, North, Woodbridge in the 50's. Only positive I can offer is that they had great maple walnut ice cream.

Oh, I did spend a memorable night at the HJ Inn at intersection of Rt 18/RT 1 one Military Ball Weekend @1962.

I had a few memorable nights at that Hojo's in the fall of '66!

 

[Knight Shift]

History of the HoJo's clam strips. Link below states: "In 1966 Howard Johnson’s ended its 32-year contract with the Soffron Brothers. . . . .Soffron Brothers continued in business into the 1990’s spanning three generations of family ownership until the building and land was sold to Mercury Brewing."

Soffron Brothers Ipswich Clams

Soffron Brothers were the exclusive suppliers of clams to the Howard Johnson chain for 32 years, which featured Ipswich Fried Clams on the menu. The four brothers, Tom, George, Pete and Steve, were…

historicipswich.org

 

[ashokan]

Ft. Lauderdale for Spring Break.. HoJo's was a great spot...

The one in Pompano was similar
It was torn down and is a parking lot now
Across the street at the beach there was a 1000ft pier that extended out to a reef
I used to snorkel 300-400 yds out to the reef before I was even 13.
Even from Google Maps you can see the reef (but not HoJo's lol)

 

[Knightmoves]

That is my childhood. HoJo's was my Dad's favorite. Regardless of where we ever ate- Dad always got fried fish filets. So, the all you could eat was a weekly no brainer. I always got the clam strips and loved mixing the tarter sauce and ketchup to dip my fries into.

Our family was often at the HJ fish fry and clam fry dinners, all you can eat for $3-4 each at their RT 22 Springfield location. Unlimited fries and sodas as well.

 

[Knight Shift]

The one in Pompano was similar
It was torn down and is a parking lot now
Across the street at the beach there was a 1000ft pier that extended out to a reef
I used to snorkel 300-400 yds out to the reef before I was even 13.
Even from Google Maps you can see the reef (but not HoJo's lol)

Parents would face a court if they let their kid do that today!

 

[DirtyRU]

That HoJo was on the south bound side correct? There is a Roy Rogers on Hooper Ave in brick. I remember all that you listed except Don Pablo's. Don't forget Ground Round and Beefsteak Charlie's.

Yup, I had Ground Round but forgot Beefsteak Charlie's! Ha. And yup, southbound side, right after one of the exits. :)

 

[ashokan]

Parents would face a court if they let their kid do that today!

I wouldn't doubt it
Luckily my parents were in NY, and I was with my aunts who stayed at HoJos while I swam with the trigger fishes
I had US Divers rocket fins, weight belt, mask and knife.
I had a spear gun back home (I shot it through a closet door)
I blame Jacques Cousteau and Falco for making me a risk to myself and others
I look back and an old quote comes to mind "God looks out for fools and children."
I know I was one and probably both lol

 

[AdventureHasAName]

Howard Johnsons was a staple of family drives from NJ to Florida in the summer during the early 1980s. Getting fried clams (and then ice cream for dessert) was always something I looked forward to.

 

[brgRC90]

Jacques Pepin has a clip on his Facebook page of when he was one of the chefs for Howard Johnson's. They served more people per day than anyone except the US Army.

 

[Roy_Faulker]

Wasn’t he in blazing saddles?

 

[Knight Shift]

Wasn’t he in blazing saddles?

 

[RUtix4me]

Middletown Rt 35 was ours, Tom Turkey, and one the 28 flavors. Now out on Cape Cod, the Lost Dog Pub is in a building that was the 2nd HoJo’s ever.

 

[LOU-RU85]

My family use to go there for breakfasts in CA. I thought the breakfasts were pretty good. I loved their chocolate milk!