A Hot ‘n Now restaurant sprang up in west Michigan in just a day as workers assembled a pre-fabricated building in Wayland, about 24 miles south of Grand Rapids, that will open later this fall, a news release from the company says.
Using a “plug and play” concept, the building was constructed offsite in Alpena, transported to Wayland and assembled on location.
Elements of the restaurant are still being completed, however, with the team’s culinary staff putting finishing touches on the kitchen setup, the news release says.
Customers will soon be able to visit the 737-square-foot-drive-thru at 1146 129th N. Ave.
“Today, we are one step closer to bringing the nostalgic Hot ‘n Now brand back with new refreshed elements,” said Monica King, CEO of GLI. “It’s very exciting to witness the assembly process and watch that iconic logo and red rooftop it all off!”
When the Wayland location opens behind GLI’s Noonday Market and across from Gun Lake Casino, its hours will be 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and from 10:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday.
What is Hot ‘n Now?
Hot ‘n Now started in the early 1980s and was eventually known for its 39-cent burgers.
Over the years, the chain was sold and acquired several times and once operated under Taco Bell, then a subsidiary of PepsiCo. As Hot Brands Inc., based in Holt, the company operated 44 Hot ‘n Now locations in Michigan, Wisconsin and Indiana, according to a 2003 Free Press report.
The company later filed for bankruptcy. Michigan’s only Hot ‘n Now location remains in Sturgis at 609 S. Centerville Road, near the Indiana-Michigan border.
Hot ‘n Now’s Michigan revival is from a partnership between Gun Lake Investments (GLI), a Grand Rapids-based tribal economic development corporation, and Alpena business owner and developer Jeff Konczak.
“The Hot ‘n Now brand has a multi-decade history of providing value to families, so we intend to honor that history in this next chapter with our hyper-value focused pricing,” King said.
The partnership formed HNN Holdings LLC and acquired the Hot ‘n Now name in October 2024 and announced two planned locations in January.
Construction is set to begin soon for an Alpena location, at 320 Johnson St., with an October opening planned, the company said.
Jalen Williams is a trending reporter at the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at jawilliams1@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Hot N’ Now uses ‘plug and play’ to build Wayland store. What’s next in chain’s comeback
Reporting by Susan Selasky and Jalen Williams, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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