Herb Applegate moved to Phoenix from Detroit in the 1960s. With a successful background in restaurant management, he quickly found investors in his newest venture: an affordable, family-friendly coffee shop and restaurant. Hobo Joe’s Coffee Shops were represented by an eponymous mascot who was meant to be a mixture of urbane sophistication and lovable tramp. Described in ad copy as a “World Traveler, Philosopher, and Connoisseur of Good Food,” he was meant to evoke refined taste and thriftiness. Although he wore dilapidated shoes and a rope belt he also carried…
