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Photo ca. 2004: Dan Donahue
 
In the early 2000s hoping to increase volume, Bickford's management converted at least four sites into their short-lived Tavern concept. Two of the taverns, Kingston, Mass. and the Mystic Tavern were former Howard Johnson's. Although renamed, the locations were really just thinly disguised Bickford's with more pricier menus. Giving up on the Tavern concept by the middle of the decade, the company decided to rename all of its outlets from Bickford's Family Restaurants to Bickford's Grilles. By closing scores of locations, offering alcohol, and abandoning the family moniker, the company hoped to attract a new crowd and keep itself viable for at least a few more years.
 
 

Above: Bickford's having an identity crisis with a temporary name banner above the door.

Below & Lower: Still using "Mystic Tavern" on its menu, the former HoJo's wore the Bickford Grille name in 2005.
 
Photos October 29, 2005: Kummerlowe Archive
 
 
 
 
 
Above: The Mystic Howard Johnson's had an exceptional site immediately along the Connecticut Turnpike (I-95), and northbound travelers would not have missed its gleaming Orange Roofs as they exited the super highway.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Photo ca. 2006: Bob Venditti
 

Above: Closed and out-of-business sometime in 2005 or '06.

Below: By the spring of 2007, the former Howard Johnson's Restaurant was being prepped for demolition even as a friendly desk clerk in the Motor Lodge insisted that the building was going to be reused.
 
Photos April 5, 2007: Kummerlowe Archive
 
 
 
 
 
 
Photos May 2007: Phil Edwards
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Photo April 2008: Dan Donahue
 
Above: Not a stick left standing, the former Howard Johnson's converted to Bickford's had been leveled by the spring of 2008.
 
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