Howard Deering Johnson (February 2, 1897 – June 20, 1972) was an American entrepreneur, businessman, and the founder of an American chain of restaurants and motels under one company of the same name, Howard Johnson's.
Early life
Howard Johnson was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and only finished elementary school because he began to work in his father's cigar business. He served during World War I in the American Expeditionary Force in France. His father died and left him a business that was in debt. He ran the cigar store until 1924 when he liquidated it, but he could not erase the $10,000 debt. He entered the restaurant industry to pay off the loan that remained after he sold the cigar venture.[1]
In 1925, he bought a small soda shop in the Wollaston neighborhood of Quincy, Massachusetts.[2] He enhanced the quality of the ice cream by buying a recipe from a pushcart vendor for $300. It doubled the butterfat of the product and used only natural flavorings.