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. With a reputation for good food at affordable prices, hungry customers would regularly return 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." Highlighted in television shows such as Mad Men and films Netflix's 2019 The Irishman, it's obvious that Howard Johnson's occupies an indelible and pleasant place popular culture. 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.

Anthony M. Sammarco is a noted historian who has authored more than 75 books on the history and development of Boston and its surrounding areas. Over the years, Mr. Sammarco taught history at Boston University and at Urban College of Boston. He has received the Bulfinch Award, the Washington Medal, and other recognitions for his works. Several of his books have made bestseller lists including Lost Boston, Jordan Marsh: New England’s Largest Store, and Inferno: The Great Boston Fire of 1872.