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<\/p>\nFor nearly one hundred years, diners have been able to enjoy a hearty meal at one of the franchise locations of Howard Johnson\u2019s. However, the tradition has finally come to an end after the restaurant chain, which was the first franchise restaurant group in the United States, officially closed its last location in Lake George, New York, putting a tradition millions of people enjoyed into the past.<\/p>\n
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Locals were hopeful that the Lake George Howard Johnson\u2019s location would reopen for the Memorial Day Weekend. However, the restaurant remained shut, and then they learned that it would not be reopening ever again. Lake George attracts tourists for the summer months, which was not enough business to sustain the restaurant.<\/p>\n
\u201cLake George is officially dead,\u201d Alyssa Kelly, of the HoJoLand fan group who has been documenting the restaurant\u2019s struggle for years, wrote on Facebook, according to Daily Mail. \u201cPlastic tables and chairs removed. All memorabilia removed (that is not original, that stays with the building). Cobwebs on the door.\u201d<\/p>\n
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By the 2010s, there were only three Howard Johnson\u2019s locations left. This one was located in Lake George but was not associated with the franchise. The other two were in Lake Placid, New York, and Bangor, Maine. The location in Lake Placid closed its doors for good in 2015, while the Bangor, Maine location shut up shop the following year, 2016.<\/p>\n
When the Lake George location opened in 1953, it was one franchise out of more than one thousand around the country. Because of its desirable location in the Adirondack Mountains, tourists would often stop at Howard Johnson\u2019s restaurant location for breakfast, lunch, and dinner as they drove to and from their final destination.<\/p>\n
The restaurant turned into the Lake George Family Restaurant in 2015 but maintained the iconic Howard Johnson\u2019s branding and name. However, the restaurant found itself struggling to stay afloat after the establishment\u2019s operator, Johnathan LaRock, faced charges for harassing 15 female employees, including some as young as age fourteen.<\/p>\n
Despite recent struggles, customers are sad that Howard Johnson\u2019s has done the way of the dinosaurs.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a sad loss. They served so many people at an affordable price. Guess as an affluent society, we\u2019re no longer concerned about the average American family!\u201d wrote one social media user.<\/p>\n
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Another person had been there in January and \u201cHad an amazing pot roast there at the end of this past January! Great service too!\u201d
\nDave Hood expressed his sorrow that he and his wife would never be able to enjoy a Howard Johnson\u2019s meal together ever again.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy wife and I stayed in Lake George a week ago and were hoping to eat there. We both used to work for Ron Butler at the Lake Placid HoJo\u2019s, and I used to manage for the NY State division of the corporate restaurants in the 70s,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n
What do you think about America\u2019s loss of Howard Johnson\u2019s restaurant franchise?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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