A History of Howard Johnson's by Anthony Mitchell Sammarco

Author:Anthony Mitchell Sammarco
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: The History Press
Published: 2013-06-14T16:00:00+00:00

As Howard Johnson’s restaurants continued to expand, the name became synonymous with good food and sensible prices. Brian Miller said:

From the beginning, Johnson had a knack for marketing and merchandizing his products and services. Examples of this ability were successfully demonstrated over the 25 years he led the company. Initially the ice cream shops were developed to maximize the amount of space for advertising that would be seen by people passing by. Johnson had the aptitude to position his units on well-traveled roadways to maximize exposure and he worked diligently to find the right location each unit. After the perfect location was acquired he developed a building that provided the appropriate décor for the location and time. Once the restaurant was in operation Johnson negotiated with landowners to provide billboards that were positioned around or near the location that advertised his ice cream and food products.

His obvious success in opening restaurants, which were either own outright or as franchises, over almost two decades ensured that when he opened on December 3, 1953 the first combined Howard Johnson’s restaurant and motor lodge on Route 17 in Savannah, Georgia, the company took on a new aspect with not just delicious foods and ice cream but a comfortable place to stay. W.W. Saunders was the first Howard Johnson’s Motor Lodge operator, and W.D. McLendon was the first manager, and they ensured that the traveling public, whether it was a businessman on the road, or a family taking an automobile vacation, that clean, comfortable and affordable lodging was available.

As the highway system continued to expand and improve, scores of sales persons were deployed to develop sales territories and many of these new sales opportunities were located along Interstate Highway System that provided easy access to customers. These soon to be coined “road warriors” spend many nights away from home making sales contacts. This new brand of business travelers were a perfect market to help support existing restaurants and develop a network of motels that help to foster continued growth for the company.

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