History of HOWARD Johnson
The Howard Johnson story began in 1925 when Howard Deering Johnson borrowed $2,000 to buy a small corner drugstore in Massachusetts. Using his mother's recipe, Howard Johnson produced ice cream with a butterfat content far exceeding that of other brands, creating a "premium" ice cream.
Throughout the summers of the late 1920s, Johnson opened up concession stands along beachfront property along the Massachusetts coast. Customers flocked to Johnson's stands and Johnson kept adding new kinds of ice cream until he hit the now-familiar "28 Flavors."
With his success becoming more noticeable every year, Johnson was able to convince local bankers to lend him enough money to operate a sit-down restaurant. Negotiations were made and, toward the end of the 1920s, the first Howard Johnson's restaurant opened in Quincy, Massachusetts.
Then, in 1935 Howard had a remarkable idea, one that would change the course of American business enterprise. He persuaded an acquaintance to open another “Howard Johnson’s” restaurant in Orleans on Cape Cod under a franchise. Howard Johnson would design the space, create the menu, set the standards, and deliver the food and ice cream. The Franchisee, under a license, would own the property and receive the bulk of the revenues. Howard, always a stickler for quality, demanded that the restaurant be run by quality standards, or the contract was void and the franchisee would have to remove the Howard Johnson sign. By 1954, there were 400 Howard Johnson's restaurants in 32 states. About 10% were company-owned turnpike restaurants that were extremely profitable. The rest were franchises.
In 1954, Howard Johnson opened the First “Howard Johnson Motor Lodge” in Savannah, Georgia which became one-stop dining and overnight convenience for “road warriors”. Howard Johnson Motor Lodge’s set a standard of consistent quality, honest value, fun clean environments and caring customer service that would change family travel - and the hospitality world - forever.
By the time the company went public in 1961, there were 88 Howard Johnson Motor Lodges in 33 states. That same year, there were 605 restaurants, 265 of them company owned and 340 franchised.
In 1979, Howard Johnson accepted an acquisiton bid from Imperial Group PLC of Great Britian. Imperial obtained 1,040 restaurants (75% company owned) and 520 motor lodges (75% franchised).
During the next ten years the brand had different owners, new concepts were launched, properties sold off and operations of the hotels and restaurants were separated.
In 1990, those involved with the company owned and franchised motor lodges, banded together and formed the "Howard Johnson Acquisition Corporation." They successfully obtained all the rights to operate and maintain the company-owned and -franchised lodges. With these rights maintained, they changed their name to "Howard Johnson International Incorporated," which became a subsidiary of "Hospitality Franchise Systems Incorporated," which eventually merged with other companies to form Cendant. In 2006, Cendant ceased operations. “Hospitality Franchise Systems Incorporated" now became part of Wyndham Worldwide. Today, Wyndham operates the Howard Johnson brand under many "tiers," based on price, level of amenities, and services offered. Howard Johnson Express Inns, Howard Johnson Inns, Howard Johnson Hotels, and Howard Johnson Plaza Hotels range from limited-service motels to full-service properties with on-site concierges and business centers.
The Howard Johnson story began 75 years ago and it has been a long road. But today we have over 450 hotels stretching around the globe. All of which are still committed to the consistent quality, honest value, fun clean environments and caring customer service that Howard Deering Johnson created all those years ago. Howard Johnson is a name that people can trust, respect and look forward to seeing wherever they travel.
