The Rise of the Franchise

When there was no local advice offered or no guide book available, how could a traveler be assured of getting a decent meal at a fair price? The concept of the franchise exploited this common fear of eating somewhere new and different. Looking for a new niche in the roadside restaurant business, Howard Johnson opened his first restaurant along an arterial highway outside Boston in 1935. Howard Johnson's combined the intimacy of the cafe counter (for solitary patrons like salesmen and truckers) with the sit-down convenience and style of a restaurant (for families and larger groups.) The distinctive orange tops and the extra-sweet ice cream added to this successful formula. Within ten years, Howard Johnson's had become the most successful of all the roadside restaurant chains.

Image: Howard Johnson's Advertisement, 1956