Howard Johnson's Restaurants down to three

From Earthtimes.org

Howard Johnson's restaurants down to three
Posted on : 2007-01-22 Author : Business News Editor News Category : Business

WATERBURY, Conn., Jan. 22 (UPI) The owner of ailing Howard Johnson's restaurants plans to revive the chain next year even as it has cut the iconic U.S. chain's size to three restaurants.

The company plans to introduce a new Howard Johnson's ice cream in New York and Puerto Rico in April, then start selling it elsewhere, La Mancha Group in New York, which owns the Howard Johnson's restaurant and food brand, told The Republican-American of Waterbury, Conn.

Once the ice cream is established, the company will open restaurants again, probably in mid-2008, La Mancha President David Kushner said.

La Mancha, which bought the brand from the Wyndham Hotel Group last year, told the Waterbury HoJo restaurant owners to stop using the brand within 30 days after franchise-renewal talks failed, Kushner told the Republican-American.

[The owners of the last Howard Johnson's restaurant in Connecticut plan to remain open under another name and say it was their decision to end their affiliation with the brand, not the company's. (from another uncredited article)]

This leaves three HoJo restaurants -- in Bangor, Maine; and Lake Placid and Lake George, N.Y.

Howard Johnson motor lodges and hotels are separate from the restaurants.

Howard Johnson's was founded in 1925 and grew to more than 1,000 restaurants by the late 1970s.

Copyright 2007 by United Press International

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The Connecticut building is an original Nims-style restaurant, and despite garnishing the name, will always be a Howard Johnson's. :-)