Headquarters picks the card processor
Every location must use Elavon. A pitch for card processing goes to headquarters, not to owners.
Item 11 · 2026 filingFrom the filings · Lodging
Howard Johnson franchise
133 locations. Headquarters picks the card processor and the loyalty program.
Total investment
$8.98M to $11.90M
Item 7
Locations
133
Item 20
See your fit for this brand
For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.
Fees and terms
What a franchisee signs up for
Initial fee
$35K
Item 5 · per location
Royalty
5%
Item 6 · full terms unconfirmed
Ad fund
3.5%
Item 6 · percentage component
Term
20 years
Item 17
Franchised
100%
Item 20 · 133 of 133
For vendors
What decides a sale into Howard Johnson
Suppliers come from an approved list
Owners buy from approved suppliers, and a new supplier needs headquarters' approval first.
Franchise agreement · 2026 filingMostly single-location owners
Every owner on record runs one location.
Item 20 · 2026 filingThe account brief
The rest of the filing, read for your product
We keep the detail off this page. Tell us what you sell, and an analyst sends the full brief for Howard Johnson, with the clauses that matter to you.
- All 9 systems the filing namesWhich are required and which are only mentioned, with the clause text
- Who decides at headquartersThe technology, operations and finance leads, by role and name
- The owner map103 owners by state
- 16 requirements the filing setsEach with the franchisor's own sentence
Source
Read the filing itself
Read the original document for the filing figures and their terms, page by page. Buy the original PDF to download, search, and annotate it.
View only A one-time purchase: the original filing, yours to keep.
Answered from the filing
Howard Johnson franchise questions
How much does a Howard Johnson franchise cost?
The 2026 FDD puts the total investment at $8,975,135 to $11,896,542, including a $35,000 initial fee.
How many Howard Johnson locations are there?
The 2026 FDD lists 133 locations, 133 of them franchised and 0 run by the company.
Compare and explore
Tell me when Howard Johnson refiles
Primary franchise filings · updated June 2026. Read the original filing for definitions, conditions, and qualifications.