He Made HoJo's a Cultural Icon-- Part 2

Sad to see Howard Johnson's essentially gone from the landscape.  That ice cream was s-o-o-o-o good.  Plus, some other couples and us used to go for weekends to a Howard Johnson Motel in Rockford, Illinois, that had an idoor pool back in the 70s.

There was also a Howard Johnson motel in Dekalb where we occasionally stayed.

Howard Johnson was born in 1897 ij Boston and got his start in 1925 when he took over a drugstore in the Wollaston section of Quincy, Massachusetts.  Business began booming when he bought an ice cream recipe from an "elderly German pushcart vendor."  That ice cream was far richer than anything else due to twice the butterfat and all-natural flavorings and colors.

Mike Butler said, "It was the best ice cream ever made (well, maybe Ted Drewes' in St. Louis).  He used the finest ingredients.  Everything was top-notch."

Then, Johnson began opening stands along nearby beaches and had 25 restaurants along Massachusetts highways by 1935

He began franchising his restaurants but continued strict control of the food quality.

Was That an Ice Cream Truck Going Down the Street That I Just Heard?  --RoadDog