How Modern Fast Food Contributed To The Downfall Of Howard Johnson's

Howard Johnson's got its start in ice cream in the 1920s and eventually became a full-service restaurant. With the emergence of cross-country road trips after the completion of U.S. Highway 66, roadside restaurants became a top food trend in the 1930s. Howard Johnson's was at the forefront of this trend, becoming America's first giant restaurant chain. Later, the company also paved the way for roadside lodging by opening up a chain of hotels and motels. 

By the mid-1960s, its orange roofs were an advertisement for high-quality food and a clean place to stay when road-tripping with the family. By 1979, the company had over 1,000 restaurants, both company-owned and franchised. However, "HoJo's" glory days didn't last forever, partially due to the emergence of fast food restaurants. To fully understand how this contributed to Howard Johnson's downfall, you must first know why the company was so successful to begin with. 

Howard Johnson, the owner himself, was extremely detail-oriented and a stickler for following the rules. He had a playbook for every facet of the operation, from recipes and food preparation to uniforms and advertising. He had his own processing facilities where the ice cream and other food were made. He searched for property where the orange roofs of his businesses could be seen from the highway. Unfortunately, Johnson's dedication to quality wasn't shared by his son, Bud, who inherited the company around the same time fast food places were getting big.

At first, when Bud Johnson took over the company in 1968, things continued to run smoothly. However, in the late 1970s, Bud began to relax the rules and the quality of food and standards slipped, resulting in Howard Johnson's having an off-putting reputation. This was happening simultaneously with a boom in fast food chains, such as McDonald's, whose owner was just as anal about procedures as Howard Johnson. Plus, this chain and others like Burger King had smaller menus, lower prices, and quicker service. 

Today, fast food is still winning out over full-service restaurants because it saves money, which is something a lot of consumers look for since the cost of groceries has skyrocketed in recent years. In addition, the convenience of the drive-thru or order-ahead is conducive to busy lives, there are more than 50 fast food chains in America to choose from and the menus have evolved to include a variety of more nutritional and dessert options. 

So while you can no longer get ice cream at a Howard Johnson's restaurant, the food that started it all, you have a multitude of fast food ice cream treats to choose from. It won't take too long and it won't cost you much.