Like many well-heeled Yankees of the era, Howard D. Johnson called Miami his second home, and he desired to see his name in lights where ever he was. By 1938 his Orange Roofed empire was growing by leaps and bounds earning him tremendous profits. Additionally, everywhere, everyone wanted a Howard Johnson's Restaurant, as its reputation had come to precede it! Thus Howard D. Johnson had little problem convincing a Miami businessman to open the first Howard Johnson's Restaurant beyond the bounds of the Northeast. Located in Miami at 1100 Biscayne Boulevard, the new location proved invaluable as it symbolically served as the foundation of the burgeoning chain's popularity outside of New England. Its successful operation proved that Howard Johnson's was more than just a passing phenomenon.

Florida's first HoJo's was an eclectic piece of commercial architecture. Part of its facade resembled a theater's entrance while the dining room wings looked more like a traditional Colonial style Howard Johnson's. During mild weather, the doors below the "Howard Johnson's" marquee were opened to allow easy access to the dairy bar. Juxtaposed on the roof was a deco-fied cupola, topped with a Simple Simon and the Pieman weather vane--it was like a lighthouse beacon calling the hungry and curious to its doors.