Howard Johnson was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and only finished elementary school because he began to work in his father's cigar business.

In 1935, Howard Johnson teamed up with a local businessman, Reginald Sprague, and created the first modern restaurant franchise.

[5] After enjoying success with the business, Johnson owned a 60-foot (18 m) yacht and he collected paintings, but he said his hobby was "to talk and eat food."

He ate at least one cone a day, and he kept 10 distinct flavors in the freezers of his seven-room Manhattan penthouse and at his home in Milton, Massachusetts.

He would arrive unannounced in a chauffeured black Cadillac bearing the license plate HJ-28, which stood for his initials and the 28 ice cream flavors sold at the restaurants.

Johnson's novel idea of centralized buying and using a commissary system to prepare menu items for distribution are part of his legacy to the restaurant industry.

[10] He also helped shape the way Americans dined out by locating his restaurants by major roads, maintaining a family-friendly atmosphere, and serving meals characterized today as comfort food.

[11] At one time, Howard Johnson was the largest commercial food supplier and lodging operator in the United States.