"Good afternoon, this is Howard Johnsons your host of the highways, Tom speaking. How may I help you?" So went our required phone call answer.

I had the priviledge of working two summers at HoJos.

I greatly appreciated going down memory lane thanks to you.

Its disappearance still remains a mystery though many practical reasons can be stated. If you compare, you'll see places like Cracker Barrel has an eire resemblance to HoJos of old.

No not in appearance of course but in its very proud road side service, its home spun menus. Bob Evans used to be compared to HoJos as well, along with Dennys.

HoJos sytem ran into trouble in part due to its commisary, supply system. I recall we could buy ketchup, quality ketchup at the local wholesalers for almost half what the Braintree, Mass charged us! This began to fluster many operators. Understabdably.

Ketchup of course wasn't the only thing we could get less costly at the big local wholesalers.

Another issue was labor cost. Massachusetts decreed we maintain certain labor cost percentages just as any good restaurant does. The problem was that not every market was identical. Some regions demanded more 'help' and this caused friction.

Promised advertising on the part of the home office was a constant factor contested on both sides.

As the labor issues increased the local managers found the need to eliminate certain HoJo positions, such as cashier. just too expensive to have a full timer there. Another was the famous ice cream counter, there used to be people who handled the ice cream as well as the counter service. Over time this position was eliminated and any waitress who was walking by a seated counter customer had to stop and take thier orders.

Little by little this began to whittle away at the famous HoJo service quality.

Even the 'famous HoJo Cola took a hit. It became common knowledge that it wasn't as good as Coca Cola!!

Thats about it. Thanks so much for the memories. I loved the place.

Tom