A History of Howard Johnson's: How a Massachusetts Soda Fountain Became an American Icon, Hardcover

Howard Johnson created an orange-roofed empire of ice cream stands and restaurants that stretched from Maine to Florida and all the way to the West Coast. Popularly known as the ``Father of the Franchise Industry,`` Johnson delivered good food and prices that brought appreciative customers back for more. The attractive white Colonial Revival restaurants, with eye-catching porcelain tile roofs, illuminated cupolas and sea blue shutters, were described in ``Reader's Digest`` in 1949 as the epitome of ``eating places that look like New England town meeting houses dressed up for Sunday.`` Boston historian and author Anthony M. Sammarco recounts how Howard Johnson introduced twenty-eight flavors of ice cream, the ``Tendersweet`` clam strips, grilled frankforts and a menu of delicious and traditional foods that families eagerly enjoyed when they traveled.