involving food and restaurant operations were scrapped. On 10 January 2015, the "Lake George Family Restaurant" diner opened inside the former Howard Johnson's Lake George restaurant (1953-2012), after its lease was transferred from its original owners, DeSantis Enterprises, to John Larock in August 2014. Choosing to take advantage of a grandfather clause, John Larock reopened it as a Howard Johnson's restaurant, briefly bringing the number of restaurants remaining back up to three. On 31 March 2015, the Lake Placid, N.Y., Howard Johnson's closed, leaving only two locations remaining. Then in September 2016, the Bangor restaurant–the last continuously operating restaurant from the original chain, closed; the last remaining location out of the original 1,000-plus. By 2016 only the Lake George restaurant remained, what was considered a controversial location. 2020s: Final closure Despite the Lake George's restaurant proclaimed resilience as "The Last One Standing", its authenticity as a true Howard Johnson's restaurant was questioned due to its dissimilar menu and negative reviews. A new from the ground up operation, it lacked a kitchen staff and crew formerly connected or experienced with the Howard Johnson's Restaurant chain. While it retained an original building and trademark name, it had no official connection with Wyndham or the defunct FAI, operating entirely as an independent and re-imagined entity. In January 2017 the Lake George property went up for sale and redevelopment projects were proposed for the site. On October 12, 2017, owner John Larock was arrested and convicted of sexual harassment of female employees, and on October 31, 2018, began serving a six-month jail sentence. The restaurant continued to operate with Larock as owner, but was open sporadically, with limited days and hours. In March 2022, after a number of controversies, the Lake George restaurant permanently closed, the last restaurant establishment to use the Howard Johnson's name. See also References Further reading External links America's Landmark—Under the Orange Roof HoJo site with guides to locations of existing restaurants, history of former locations, etc. American companies established in 1925 Hotels established in 1925 Restaurants established in 1925 Wyndham brands Restaurant franchises Companies based in Massachusetts Defunct restaurant chains in the United States Defunct restaurant chains in Canada Restaurants disestablished in 2022