Howard Johnson’s
Howard Johnson’s was usually connected to motels. There was a time when it was the biggest restaurant chain in America. Did you know that it served more meals outside the home when you exclude the U.S. Army? At the peak of HoJo’s success during the late ‘70s, there were more than a thousand iconic restaurant locations with those legendary orange roofs. Perhaps you recall seeing it on Mad Men. Nowadays, there is only one location still open: Lake George, New York. If you go there, you should try out the signature dishes such as the macaroni and cheese as well as the fried clam strips. All the other stores disappeared after the company dealt with ownership problems. The truth is that the aforementioned restaurants are not the only ones struggling these days. There are also retail chains closing shop this year! Truly, we are caught in the middle of a period full of economic and social changes.
Howard Johnson’s
Stuckey’s
Previously a chain of a combination of a gas station and souvenir stores that sometimes sold hot food, Stuckey’s evolved over the years. From a roadside pecan stand in Georgia to a 300-unit chain all over the US, the business fell into hard times in the 1970s. Nowadays, there are hardly any authentic Stuckey’s stores open, but there is a fully restored vintage Stuckey’s building in Illinois that still offers aisles lined with Stuckey’s branded merchandise.
Stuckey’s
