1930's Business and the Economy | Johnson, Howard 1885-1977

FOUNDER OF NATIONAL RESTAURANT CHAIN

Humble Beginnings.

Howard Johnson entered the food-service business in 1924 in Wollaston, Massachusetts, when he bought a debt-ridden soda fountain that also sold newspapers, cigars, and candy. He decided to focus on ice cream and invested $300 in the recipe of an elderly German immigrant whose ice cream had a reputation for high quality. The essence of the recipe was its near-doubling of the butterfat content commonly found in commercial ice cream and its use of natural rather than artificial flavors. By 1928 the gross income from the ice cream sold at the store and on nearby beaches amounted to $240,000.

Opening His First Restaurant.

Encouraged by his success, Johnson decided to expand into restaurants. He opened his first restaurant in Quincy, Massachusetts, in 1928 and did a booming business until the stock-market crash in 1929. His restaurant closed. However,...