Print
Word
PDF|
This section contains 205 words (approx. 1 page at 300 words per page) |
|
Amid the clutter of large frogs and colonial nostalgia, roadside restaurant chains took hold. In 1935 businessman Howard Johnson opened the first of what would become a chain of roadside eateries throughout Massachusetts. The popularity of his establishments spread as word of his extrarich ice cream got out. Johnson made his cones distinctive by offering a range of flavors and by using a scoop that formed a rim of extra ice cream at the bottom, suggesting to customers that they were getting an exceptionally large serving. Johnson's restaurants also offered what was then an unusual combination: he offered a full-meal dining room, a quick-bite counter, and a fast-food menu under one roof. In 1935 he began franchising his restaurants; by 1940, 125 Howard Johnson restaurants, a third of them company owned, were in business from Maine to Florida and grossing $14 million a year. Johnson secured the popularity of...
|
This section contains 205 words (approx. 1 page at 300 words per page) |
|
