Toot One's Own Horne

What Do You Think You're Looking At? #178

By now you know when I say “Here’s a boring everyday little chain restaurant” that there’s a little more to it than that:

This one sits at an intersection in the little town of Port Royal, Virginia, just east of Fredericksburg.

Another angle:

You’ve probably seen a number of structures like this. It resembles the Howard Johnson’s motel office buildings, or the Wienerschnitzel chain building. Some others from the same period.

Most of you are probably wondering, then, what old chain’s brand-centric building this little place called Horne’s is inhabiting?

However, perhaps a couple of you already know—as I learned, on a web forum about old fast-food architecture—that Horne’s is a chain with its own iconic typical building, of which this is a very well-preserved example.

In fact, what you’re looking at is the very last remaining Horne’s, down from over 60 at the peak. This restaurant is a member of a chain that has outlived the chain.

Horne’s was obviously modeled after both Stuckey’s and Howard Johnson’s—it had gift shops and gas stations, and sold nuts. It operated motor lodges and once used the slogan “Your Highway Host for Food and Candies.” (Howard Johnson’s slogan was “Host of the Highways.”) Its trajectory was quite similar to these and probably a number of other brands, which emerged in an early form in the 1930s (1920s for HoJo!), burgeoned in the postwar years, and then slumped with the oil crisis of the 1970s, oriented around road trips as they were.

Both Stuckey’s and Howard Johnson’s survived that period. Horne’s kept declining. It underwent the same sort of corporate upheaval as Howard Johnson’s, and the restaurant company disappeared in the 1980s, meaning the “company” operating this final location is not continuous with the company in its successful chain days. The Wikipedia article on it is interesting. Here’s a cool website with a bunch of old images from the chain.

The location, however, is original and mostly faithful, down to, apparently, the milkshake machine from the 1960s. At least the machines used to be the original ones. (Maybe when I finally do a piece about two or three surviving 1940s frozen-custard machines that apparently still exist somewhere in Virginia, I’ll also check in on the vintage milkshake machines…I love a good mystery.)

Here’s an old, archived version of the final store’s website, with a little embellished history:

Are you a chain? Do you have a directory of locations? What ever happened to all those Horne’s?

These are some of the questions folks ask us via email. Sooooo..... here’s our story, but we cannot be sure how much of it is fact or fiction.

Many years ago, (some of us can remember) the highways in the South were dotted with Stucky’s. Mr. Horne was a candy salesman who made his living selling to all of those stores. Then one day, Stucky’s decided to make their own candy, which in essence, gave Mr. Horne the boot. Well, what is a candy salesman to do? Mr. Horne opened up his own chain, fashioning it after Stucky’s, selling gifts, gasoline, good food and, of course, candy. The headquarters was in Florida, and soon stores opened up along major roads headed North. Horne’s and Stucky’s thrived side by side.

With the construction of I-95 and similar highways, the former major North-South routes did not receive as much traffic and customers. Soon after, Horne’s as a chain ceased to exist. The good news is some Horne’s were still viable business locations, such as our home in Port Royal, VA, which remained open under independent ownership. There are a few up and down the east coast from Virginia to Florida. Yet, after years of independent owners, they have each undergone many changes, making each Horne’s a unique experience

So that’s it; that's our story and we’re sticking to it. Believe it if you like. There is one thing that we know is true. Horne’s in Port Royal, VA is unique and one of a kind! Come by for a visit!

There’s still an old-fashioned counter with stools, and the place is a throwback. The reviews aren’t bad either, and the food is good simple roadside fare.

So why not give it a visit?

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Related Reading:

Hook, Line, and Sinker

From Everywhere To Last

Last Wall Standing

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