So far, business has been steady, thanks in part to a tour bus operator that deposits groups there during trips between Montreal and New York.

Brendin LeBrun, 23, a line cook at the Lake George restaurant, cannot help being amazed at the reaction of some guests. “One lady started crying because it brought back memories from the past,” Mr. LeBrun said. “I’ve never seen people so happy to visit a restaurant.”

The restaurant’s revival has evoked warm stories of the past among many local residents. It was one of the first places that the celebrity chef Rachael Ray worked before graduating from Lake George High School. “Rachael was pretty much a fountain girl back then,” Mr. LaRock recalled.

Pam Morin, who lives in nearby Lake Luzerne, said there used to be a drive-in theater across the street from HoJo’s. “If you sat in the right booth you could see the movie,” Ms. Morin said. “One time ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’ was playing. That was scary. But it was always a treat when my best friend’s dad would take us there for dinner. I loved the all-you-can-eat Friday night fish fry. I think it was 99 cents.”

Her favorite dessert was strawberry ice cream, one of the 28 flavors HoJo’s was famous for.

The quest for small-town nostalgia and fond childhood memories has proved to be a successful economic combination elsewhere, helping draw visitors to places like Cooperstown, N.Y., home of the Baseball Hall of Fame; and Mount Airy, N.C., the actor Andy Griffith’s hometown, whose Main Street evokes the fictional town of Mayberry, where “The Andy Griffith Show” was set.