While driving to Zion National Park from Bryce Canyon, my friend took a wrong turn that led us to the right spot: the Thunderbird Restaurant off of Highway 89. As we were flipping a U-turn to get back on track, I saw a sign advertising Ho-Made Pies and I knew we needed to stop. We pulled off of the road and browsed the gift shop before sitting down and trying the hot apple pie with buttered rum sauce and the strawberry rhubarb pie.
The sign that caught my eye was the result of the original owner of Thunderbird Restaurant trying to be thrifty by saving wood. Jack Morrison, the founder, omitted the last two letters of the word “home” to make the letters fit on the small plank of wood he wanted to use. As a waiter very kindly explained to me and my friends while we waited for our food, the sign was made back before the word “ho” had negative connotations. Instead of replacing the sign when the meaning changed from baked home goods to provocative pastries, the owners of the restaurant decided to capitalize on the odd spelling. They added a scantily clad waitress to their signs and the rest is (very tasty) history.