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Findlay, Ohio--Photograph
April 24, 2004 |
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Findlay,
Ohio
1505 West Main Crossing
St @ Exit 157 from I-75 |
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The Howard Johnson
Company announced:
HOJO Junctions operate
under their own version of our famous orange roof. Inside, however
they are quite different. They're self service restaurants featuring
a limited selection of standard Howard Johnson's foods such as
frankfurters, hamburgers, fried clams, fried chicken and ice
cream. The cost is low--no item on the bill of fare is priced
above 99 cents.
Food
is served in specially designed disposable containers. There
are no individual menus--guests make their selections from the
menu board. Instead of waitress service in a carpeted dining
room, HOJO Junction customers serve themselves and carry their
food to an attractive, but not fancy booth.
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Findlay, Ohio--Photograph
April 24, 2004 |
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Howard
Cummings, corporate executive
vice president of operations noted that "seating is provided
for 60 people in the informal interior. Many will have out door
tables as well. Our purpose is to provide quality products at
a modest price in an attractive, but less formal environment.
A family casually dressed in sports clothes can enjoy a snack
or hot meal in our relaxed atmosphere."
He
added that the units were "half the size of our conventional
Howard Johnson's restaurant, took only half as much time to build
and operates well with half the staff...For years the younger
generation has used HoJo as a nickname for Howard Johnson's--now
the company is capitalizing on the strong sense of identification
with young adults, the under-30 set." |
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Photographs courtesy
of Phil Edwards |
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HOJO
Junction's large A-frame was a stand-out visual cue designed
to remind patrons of the Gate Lodge lobbies at Howard Johnson's
Motor Lodges as well as the newly introduced extra-large full
service "Concept '65" Restaurants. Initial plans called
for company owned units in Troy, Findlay, and Miamisburg, Ohio,
Miami Beach, Florida, Crescent Springs, Kentucky, and Atlanta,
Georgia. These were to be followed by 50 franchised locations
mostly along I-75.
President Howard B. Johnson described
HOJO Junctions as "designed for today's young, mobile population."
Only three HOJO Junctions were built,
and they became regular Howard Johnson's by 1973. The Troy location
closed in 1976, with both Findlay and Miamisburg ceasing HoJo's
operations in 1977.The Howard Johnson Company only half-heartedly
attempted to enter fast food and failed to crack into the growing
and lucrative market. Ironically in the company's last days in
the 1980s, Howard Johnson became a franchise operator of Burger
King Restaurants! |
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