Longtime Icon Now Just A Shell -- HOWARD JOHNSON's Restaurants Fast Disappearing

(From The Hartford Courant/Associated Press)

Diners on Waterbury's Main Street still can get a plate of clam strips under the HOWARD JOHNSON orange roof that has greeted travelers from coast to coast for the past half century.

But across the nation the venerable restaurant chain is disappearing.

The Waterbury, Connecticut restaurant is the last of the many HOWARD JOHNSON's that once operated in Connecticut, said owner CHRISTINA BAKES, who bought the place five years ago.

"Business has been very good," she said Monday before hurrying off to serve the crush of lunch-hour patrons. Bakes said she has 30 employees and no plans to close.

But in much of the nation, the restaurant famous for its distinctive orange roof is long gone and the SIMPLE SIMON plaque is history. The famous 28 FLAVORS of ice cream have dwindled to 16.

The venerable chain once had more than 800 restaurants from coast to coast, but these days you can count them on two hands.

Some fear that HOJO's, as it is affectionately known, and its trademark orange roofs, fried clams and timeless air will soon go the way of the STUDEBAKER, a victim of modern times and increased competition. If that happens, an icon of American dining and one of the nation's first full-service restaurant chains will disappear.

Howard Johnson's Restaurants Fast Disappearing