Last of the Howard Johnson’s turns out the lights
The only remaining Howard Johnson’s eatery in the United States has closed.
Albany’s Times Union reports the last of the ubiquitous diners, which didn’t open for Memorial Day Weekend, now belongs to a time gone by. The nearly 70-year-old Lake George location was last known to have operated in March, according to that report. The 7,500-square-foot space is now for lease.
In this April 8, 2015, file photo, customers walk into Howard Johnson's Restaurant in Lake George, N.Y. (Mike Groll/)
During Howard Johnson’s 1960s and 1970s heyday, nearly 1,000 of the eateries operated either as franchises or company-owned properties. That number dwindled considerably over the past half-century and included the 2005 shuttering of the brand’s highly visible Times Square location.
The Lake George location came under new ownership in 2015, according to the Times Union, which reports that proprietor’s legal troubles forced the restaurant to temporarily close. A former manager then took over operations and managed to keep the HoJo afloat even amid pandemic restrictions.
The Howard Johnson’s name will live on, thanks to Wyndham Hotel Group’s continued operations of hotels and motel once associated with the restaurants brand. Those eateries operated for 97 years. The last remaining restaurants were located in Lake Placid and Bangor, Maine. They closed in 2015 and 2016 respectively.
Lake George, a summer destination spot, is situated 200 miles north of New York City in the Adirondack mountain range.
