Vintage Howard Johnson's Round Scalloped Plate - Prices Vary

Before the domination of fast food, Howard Johnson's was not only a national landmark with more than 1500 locations scattered across the U.S., but a home away from home where diners enjoyed friendly service and hearty portions of familiar favorites. Founded by Howard Deering Johnson in 1925 as a drugstore location in Quincy, Massachusetts, Johnson was instrumental in the development of travel hospitality during the Golden Age of the American Road Trip. Pioneering the clever use of now-common conventions like a separate children's menu, crayons and place mats for coloring and even the "doggie bag" for leftovers, the chain famously boasted that it served more meals outside the home than any organization except the U.S. Army.

Initially renowned for the high butterfat content of its luscious ice cream, Howard Johnson's incorporated regional specialties like New England Fried Clams, Boston Baked Beans with canned Brown Bread and Buttered Roll Frankfurters onto its creative menu of comfort food. Ever in search of the next innovation, Johnson recruited a largely unknown French chef from one of his favorite restaurants, New York City's Le Pavillion. Fresh from his role as personal chef to French president Charles de Gaulle and in the U.S. for a mere eight months, Howard Johnson enticed none other than a young Jacques Pépin to make the leap from haute cuisine to Howard Johnson's in 1959.

It was the beginning of a memorable partnership that Pépin remembers fondly. "It was Mr. Johnson's contention that I should learn about the Howard Johnson Company from the ground up. I worked a few months as a line cook at one of the largest and busiest Howard Johnson's restaurants at the time, on Queens Boulevard in Rego Park. I flipped burgers, cooked hot dogs and learned about the specialties of the house."

The chef also recalled, "Howard Johnson's was my American apprenticeship, and it was a long one, nearly 10 years, mostly spent in the company's Queens Village commissary. Mr. Johnson gave me and Pierre carte blanche, and we experimented with different types of stews, like beef burgundy, and dishes like scallops in mushroom sauce. I became comfortable using 1,000-gallon pots and operating enormous machines." According to the chef, Johnson remained hands-on, often visiting the test kitchen to taste, ask questions and make suggestions. Howard Johnson also added acclaimed pastry chef, Albert Kumin, to the roster. Kumin created a pastry department that produced 10 tons of Danish pastries per day, reaching hundreds of restaurants in the chain. 

Produced for Howard Johnson's and undoubtedly having served menu creations developed by Jacques Pépin, these classic dishes in the company's scalloped plate silhouette were created by well-respected American china manufacturers including New York's Syracuse and Shenango China companies, as well as Pennsylvania's Jackson China. These creamy ironstone serving pieces all bear the company's iconic 'Pieman' logo. Originating from a 1930 design by artist John Eagles Alcott, the graphic outlines characters from the nursery rhyme Simple Simon, showcasing the Pie Man, the titular Simple Simon, and a cunning dog on the hunt for a tasty pastry. 

Each piece is strictly limited and subject to prior sale. In very good vintage condition. Plates sold separately. Plates measure 5.5", 7.5", 8", 9.75" and 11" in diameter. Microwave, Dishwasher and Oven Safe.