Howard Johnson's Classic Locations in Massachusetts

At the Beginning

Having served during WW I in the storied Yankee Division, Howard D. Johnson returned home to take up his cigar business where he had left off. However times had changed and Johnson became deeply indebted. Forced to

abandon the once lucrative cigar business, he went to work at the Walker-Barlow Drug Store. The store was primarily a newsstand and was located in Wollaston, Massachusetts. Not long after the 27 year old Johnson started work, the store's owner unexpectedly died. The proprietor's heirs agreed after some debate to allow Howard to take over, and to loan him $2,000 to get him started. In addition, he put up $500 which he had to scrape together from his mother and sisters. Thus began the world's greatest hospitality empire in December of 1925 with its inexperienced owner more than $42,000 in debt!

Introduced in 1983, the Superlodge concept was a late attempt by the Howard Johnson Company to reinvent its accommodation offerings. Each Superlodge was to feature between 150 and 250 guest rooms in six story structures. The idea was to focus on a broader based clientele with a special emphasis on business customers. Designed for suburban, urban, and airport locations, planned amenities included expanded meeting room facilities, room service, cocktail lounges, restaurants, exercise rooms, and indoor swimming pools. The First and perhaps only Superlodge was the unit built in Westborough which was well sited adjacent to a "technology hub."

Not created until late in 1965, the Landmark Supply Division was a natural outgrowth of the Howard Johnson Company. Landmark facilitated substantial cost savings, streamlined procurement of restaurant equipment and motor lodge furnishings while further establishing standardization and promoted Howard Johnson's quality image. The division worked closely with the Company's architecture and design department to ensure tight integration and enforcement of Howard Johnson's high standards. After Marriott's purchase and subsequent breakup of Howard Johnson's, Landmark became a part of Prime Motor Inns and was relocated to New Jersey. Landmark was spun off and eventually had a falling out with HFS/Blackstone/Cendant (Prime's successor).

Introduced in 1966, the Automated Merchandising Division traced its origins back to at least the early 1950s. The division oversaw vending services. Most of its vending machines were placed in high volume Motor Lodges and at highway service plazas. Howard Johnson's expanded its vending operations by purchasing several vending companies throughout the United States. Later the division was renamed All Seasons Vending and serviced thousands of machines along toll roads and supplied services to dozens of large commercial, industrial, and institutional clients.

Following in the trend of Restaurant renovations started in the middle 1970s where earth tones, butcher block table and counter tops, as well as octagonal salad bars replaced traditional decor, the New Edition concept was an attempt "to add a new dimension" to Howard Johnson's restaurants. Woburn was converted in 1977 and was among the first four prototypes. Tweaking the Orange Roofs into New Editions was said to make them more upscale and menus were revamped to include more fresh food items with special emphasis on salads of all types. The Company decided that all new Orange Roofs would be New Editions, but soon backed off its position and the concept was abandoned.

The Howard Johnson's Today concept was supposed to reinvent traditional Orange Roofed Restaurants. Somerset was converted as the prototype and opened June 4, 1984. The theme was "everything's new at Howard Johnson's." The restaurant's Orange Roof became a drab and dull gray and its diary bar was replaced with a take-out counter. Menu items became a blend of traditional fare and contemporary choices. Ironically even as the Orange Roof, the best symbol of Howard Johnson's, was eliminated, Simple Simon and the Pieman iconography was reintroduced.

In conjunction with the HJ Today & Deli•Baker•Ice Cream Maker concepts, "cone-struc-tion" was devised. First tested at Seekonk and the Orange Roof at Medford, the innovative idea was introduced at twenty locations in 1985. In each restaurant an ice cream display case holding Howard Johnson's many flavors of ice cream and "cone-diments" such as candy bars, cookies, nuts, raisins, etc. could be added together to create clever new taste concoctions. Then the creation of ice cream and cone-diments was added to a freshly made waffle cone resulting in the cone-struc-tion!

Created by Howard Johnson's Creative Concept Group, a twelve-member team headed by Doris Etelson, Paddywhacks was designed "to try out some new ideas and develop a different type of menu and style of restaurant." The aim was to create "an atmosphere for casual enjoyable dining." The unit at Westfield was opened in June of 1983 in a converted Orange Roof, and its hasty renovation took place in only three weeks. The concept's name was said to have been inspired by the children's song, Nick, Nack, Paddy Whack.

Another of the Creative Concept Group's ideas, the first of two Bumbershoots was opened in August of 1983 in the converted Framingham Orange Roof. The concept placed a heavy emphasis on liquor sales with the belief that it would draw large crowds of young professionals. As for food, the Company abandoned the commissary model and announced that all menu items were to be fresh with everything prepared on site from scratch.

Burlington was a converted Orange Roof which had been highly touted when it first opened since it employed one of the earliest A-frame Concept '65 derived plans for its building. Made over into Pickle Lilys in the spring of 1984, the decor and food was said to incorporate elements from both the Paddywhacks and Bumbershoots concepts. Named for a food item called piccalilli, a relish of tomatoes, peppers, onions, celery, and other ingredients created by Company research chef Jacques Paimblanc, Pickle Lilys was said to create a relaxed mood for dining with its fresh flowers and bright colors.

Announced in early 1985, Woburn was to be the second Pickle Lilys. The unit had been constructed in the early 1970s in the Mansard-style as a traditional Orange Roof and then was converted into the New Edition concept in 1978.

Please note that the list of classic Motor Lodges on this page is complete and accurate. However it is not possible with current resources to include a "fully complete" list of restaurant/stand locations going back to 1925 for the Bay State.