Howard Johnsons in 1970s Detroit

[ThunderTrap]

Having looked at old Holiday Inns...now from highwayhost.org the former Howard Johnson locations:

Hotel/Restaurant:

45945 Willow Run Expressway, Belleville [[demolished, replaced by Comfort Inn)
Washington and Michigan, Downtown [[now Holiday Inn Express)
West Grand and 3rd Avenue [[demolished)
25100 Northwestern Expressway, Southfield [[demolished, replaced by Holiday Inn Express)

Restaurant only:

Van Dyke & Sterling, Center Line [[now Haney's Family Restaurant)
7033 E. Jefferson [[now Big Boy)
1620 N. Telegraph, Dearborn [[now Fifth Third Bank)
26767 Grand River Avenue, Redford [[demolished, now Soft Touch Auto Wash)
12132 Woodward, Highland Park [[demolished, parking lot)
1111 14 Mile, Madison Heights [[demolished, to become a Twin Peaks)
3650 Dixie Highway, Waterford/Pontiac [[now office rental space)
20460 Mack, Grosse Pointe Woods [[demolished, site of CVS Pharmacy)
36685 Plymouth Road, Livonia [[now Midtown Grill & Bar)
37040 Gratiot Avenue, Mount Clemens [[demolished)
13400 W. Eight Mile, Oak Park [[now Patsy's Family Restaurant)
3375 N. Woodward, Royal Park [[demolished, now Walgreens)
4875 E. Eight Mile, Warren [[demolished, now McDonald's)
6450 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills [[now Hogan's)
25050 Northwestern Highway, Southfield [[now Kerby's Koney Island)

[mtburb]

2380 Carpenter, Ann Arbor [[demolished 2006 for entrance to Baymont Inn [[now Comfort Inn))
14899 Dix-Toledo, Southgate [[demolished, strip mall on site)

[detroittrader]

3375 N. Woodward, Royal Oak [[demolished, now Walgreens)

That was also "The Ground Round" back in the 1980's. The place with peanut shells all over the floor.

[Smirnoff]

If not mistaken, I believe the eating minimum was 65-yrs old back then......

[ThunderTrap]

Ground Round was initially started up as a subsidiary brand of Howard Johnson, with some HJ locations either converting fully, or having a dual dining room set-up between both brands [[i.e. as was done in Plattsburgh,NY). Said Plattsburgh location is now a 99 Restaurant, with the section that had been the Ground Round converted to executive long-stay suites...the HJ Motor Lodge becoming a Best Western...and a separate building erected on site for a new Ground Round which remains afloat [[barely).

[dtowncitylover]

That was also "The Ground Round" back in the 1980's. The place with peanut shells all over the floor.

And well into the 90s. That was my family's go-to restaurant. I remember it fondly including a giant screen that projected television.

[EastsideAl]

The Highland Park HJ was a regular stop for my family after Lions games [[back when they played at Tiger Stadium) because we went to the games with a friend of my dad's who lived in HP, and they would both be jonesing for those clam strips after a few beers at the game.

[EastsideAl]

3375 N. Woodward, Royal Oak [[demolished, now Walgreens)

That was also "The Ground Round" back in the 1980's. The place with peanut shells all over the floor.

I have long blamed myself for the demise of that Howard Johnsons. I 'dined and dashed' at that HoJo one morning at the end of a looong 'midnight ride' with a friend from Mt. Pleasant via East Lansing and Pontiac, after we had a little, umm, misunderstanding in our very bleary condition over how much money each of us had.

A week later the place was closed.

[mikefmich]

After decades, I've yet to find a suitable replacement venue for fried clams.
Before anyone suggests White Castles, drink some poison, will ya?

[softailrider]

I thought the Kerby's Coney Island that exists on the Northwestern Hwy location WAS the old Ho Jo's - it's got the correct tile roof. I didn't think it was where the Holiday Inn now sits.

[Don K]

If not mistaken, I believe the eating minimum was 65-yrs old back then......

Haha! You've got HoJo's confused with Bill Knapp's

[ThunderTrap]

There was a stand-alone restaurant at a different civic address than the adjacent Howard Johnson Motor Lodge on Northwestern.

[ThunderTrap]

The Sign of the Beef Carver on Woodward. I'm 53 and I was the youngest person in the place.

[gazhekwe]

Absolutely the Kerby's on Ten Mile and Northwestern is the old HoJo building. Go inside and see the beautiful wood inlay wall mural, still there from the 50s. The booth set up is the same, maybe even the same booths. The covers used to be turquoise, maybe still are. Parquet floor in the back dining area you can rent for your meeting or party.

[Oddz313]

The Highland Park HJ was a regular stop for my family after Lions games [[back when they played at Tiger Stadium) because we went to the games with a friend of my dad's who lived in HP, and they would both be jonesing for those clam strips after a few beers at the game.

Wasn't that the one next to the motel, where the woodward corridor killer killed a few women.

[EastsideAl]

Wasn't that the one next to the motel, where the woodward corridor killer killed a few women.

Yup, that's the one.

Here is an earlier thread on the motel, The Monterey:
http://www.detroityes.com/mb/showthr...-Highland-Park

Here's an image of a motel postcard from that thread showing the HoJo and the motel together in the top photo:

[Cincinnati_Kid]

There also was a HoJo on the Lodge service drive and Pembroke in Detroit. I don't know what they
use the building for now, but you can still see the distinctive orange and white roof
.

[Smirnoff]

The Sign of the Beef Carver on Woodward. I'm 53 and I was the youngest person in the place.

Told ya - HJ's age minimum was around 65.......I think this site finally "jumped the shark".

[EastsideAl]

There also was a HoJo on the Lodge service drive and Pembroke in Detroit. I don't know what they use the building for now, but you can still see the distinctive orange and white roof.

That building does definitely appear to have been a Howard Johnson's. I looks like an older one, like the one that used to be on Mack near Vernier. I'm pretty sure this was built on James Couzens Hwy., before the Lodge was cut through. From the streetview it now appears to be a medical clinic, with a sign that shows 2 pediatricians and a ob-gyn who are DMC-affiliated on one side, and a family planning clinic on the other.

What's really interesting is the other, smaller, building on the property, which also appears to be HoJo related. It even has a little HoJo style cupola on the top. I wonder what it was used for?

[catch22]

That building does definitely appear to have been a Howard Johnson's. I looks like an older one, like the one that used to be on Mack near Vernier. I'm pretty sure this was built on James Couzens Hwy., before the Lodge was cut through. From the streetview it now appears to be a medical clinic, with a sign that shows 2 pediatricians and a ob-gyn who are DMC-affiliated on one side, and a family planning clinic on the other.

What's really interesting is the other, smaller, building on the property, which also appears to be HoJo related. It even has a little HoJo style cupola on the top. I wonder what it was used for?

If I had to guess, I'd say a service station.

[A2Mike]

From the mid 60s to the early 70s the Highland Park Hojo's had something of a gay following, especially among the guys not old enough to hang out in the bars farther down Woodward. They might also go to the S&C restaurant on Second Av., across from the GM Bldg., but that was a fairly raucous scene, especially late. Hojo's was for more quiet meals with friends and by the early 70s the scene, now expanded, had shifted towards the Palmer Park area.

[Cincinnati_Kid]

Post #20. I didn't think they had gas stations at HoJo's, but I could be wrong. I was a little tyke back then, and don't remember. I believe it was probably used for something else. But I got confirmation from a Aunt that it was a HoJo on the Lodge service drive, she said she use to eat there, back in the early to mid 60's.

[DetroiterOnTheWestCoast]

HoJo's had the best "coffee fudge" ice cream

[ThunderTrap]

Definitely agree with the above post concerning the delicacy of their coffee fudge ice cream.

[Uncledave54]

I thought the Kerby's Coney Island that exists on the Northwestern Hwy location WAS the old Ho Jo's - it's got the correct tile roof. I didn't think it was where the Holiday Inn now sits.

It was actually both.... Kirbys was the restaurant, Holiday Inn was a HJ motor lodge.