The iconic restaurant chain that defined Americana by introducing twenty-eight flavors of ice cream, ';tendersweet' clam strips, grilled ';frankforts,' and more. Popularly known as the ';Father of the Franchise Industry,' Howard Johnson delivered good food and fair pricesa winning combination 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.' Learn how Johnson created an orange-roofed empire of ice cream stands and restaurants that stretched from Maine to Florida… then all the way across the country.