Owned and operated by the Howard Johnson Company, the Restaurant on East Thomas Road was the second in the Grand Canyon State and was opened in the fall of 1967. It retained its Orange Roof status until some time in 1979 and then was converted into a JB's Big Boy Restaurant (JB's was founded in 1961 and remained a Big Boy franchisee until 1987).

JB's itself went through at least a couple of damaging ownership changes resulting in two bankruptcy filings. The unit on East Thomas was shuttered following JB's first reorganization attempt and then endured a series of unsuccessful restaurant operations at its site--New Dragon Buffet, Chayo's Mexican Kitchen, and Hal O-Peño's Mexican Restaurant & Bar to name three. By the early 2010s, the former Howard Johnson's was fenced off and "available" yet again.