After a few years in business, the chain started to fall behind its competitors and didn’t leave much room for financial growth and innovation.
“The downfall of Howard Johnson’s was ultimately their competitors. Friendly’s had their ice cream, KFC was all about fried chicken, and in comparison, HoJo’s was just too basic.” According to one critic.
Henry’s Hamburgers
They did, however, have cheap meals, which made them a primo alternative. Not too long after their inception though, the company started to lose ground to its competitor and decided to close a huge chunk of their store locations.
Only one store is left standing, in Benton Harbor, Michigan.
Howard Johnson’s
Howard Johnson’s – better known as “Hojo’s” – was one of the largest restaurant chains during the 1960s and 1970s.
The restaurant chain was known for its iconic building designs, orange roofs, weather vanes, and peaks. With over 1,000 locations nationwide, they soon became a regular favorite with a unique twist when it came to the dining experience.
Official All-Star Café
The Official All-Star Cafe was founded in 1995 and owned by Planet Hollywood.
While in its prime, the café grew to a total of 10 locations, which included high-traffic areas like Times Square and Walt Disney World.
Official All-Star Café
Since it was becoming such a big hit, Planet Hollywood decided to get a number of sports icons to invest in the café. Some of the athletic investors included Andre Agassi, Ken Griffey Jr., Shaq, Wayne Gretzky and Joe Montana, all of whom were quite popular during that era.
Much like the concept of The Hard Rock Cafe chain, Planet Hollywood’s goal was to come up with a safe haven for sport enthusiasts with a theme to match. Unfortunately, the concept did not last too long. Its popularity started to die down, so the company decided to close all of its chains in 2007.