WAYLAND TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — Gone are the days when Hot ‘n Now restaurants dotted roadways in over a dozen states, but will this summer mark the beginning of a new era for the fast-food chain?

Gun Lake Investments, alongside business owner and developer Jeff Konczak, announced Tuesday that the once-popular fast food chain is making a comeback this summer with a new location in West Michigan across from the Gun Lake Casino in Wayland Township.

At its peak, Hot ‘n Now commanded a roughly 150-store presence in 15 states, according to the Milwaukee Record, with locations in the early 1990s in Oregon, Florida, California, Pennsylvania and more.

There’s no exact opening date yet, GLI CEO Monica King said, as the team works to confirm when the drive-thru can get its last utilities hooked up. Once it does open, there will be a grand opening celebration, she said.

Hot ‘n Now will be opening a Wayland township location this summer. (Courtesy HNN Holdings, LLC)

No ’39-cent hamburgers,’ but focus on low prices

On the Hot ‘n Now menu will be items like the olive burger and cheesy taters, alongside “wallet-friendly prices.”

“You won’t see 39 cent hamburgers like you used to, that’s for sure,” Konczak told Nexstar’s WOOD with a chuckle. “(But) we are ultra focused on making sure that what we put out is of the best quality and the best value that it can be.”

“It won’t be 39 cents because that’s just not feasible with how inflation has worked over the years,” GLI CEO Monica King added. “But I think if you roll forward inflation, we’re right in line. … As a mom and parent and big family, it’s hard. You do look at costs, and things have gotten out of control with quick-serve, fast food.”

Konczak said he and King were in a meeting together a little over a year ago when Hot ‘n Now happened to come up. Both he and Gun Lake Investments, the nongaming investment arm for the Gun Lake Tribe, had been looking into bringing back Hot ‘n Now, he said.

“We both have a very long history with Hot ‘n Now,” he said. “I survived on Hot ‘n Now for a few years, was the only thing I ate because it was the only thing I could afford.”

Drive-thru will be built off-site

Konczak’s company, B Cubed Manufacturing, is assembling the drive-thru buildings with a “plug and play” concept. The restaurant is built off-site, then assembled on location.

Everything is built, pre-wired, pre-plumbed and inspected in the plant, he explained. The Hot ‘n Now locations will even have their kitchen equipment and wares put in place, before the restaurant is shipped to the location.

Hot ‘n Now will be opening a Wayland township location this summer. (Courtesy HNN Holdings, LLC)
Hot ‘n Now will be opening a Wayland township location this summer. (Courtesy HNN Holdings, LLC)

“When our team goes into a location, it’s a matter of hours and the building is done,” he said. “So if you were driving by in the morning and you saw a dirt site, when you go back home, it’s done.”

The process helps cut back on construction delays, Konczak said.

What’s next

The once-popular Hot ‘n Now first got its start in 1984 in Kalamazoo. It saw success with locations across the country until the 1990s. After changing ownership several times, it filed for bankruptcy in 2004.

GLI in January announced it had acquired Hot ‘n Now. At the time, it said it plans to open more locations in the coming years.

King said for now, there’s only been “informal conversation” around where those locations will be.

“Our focus really is on making sure that (the) Wayland and Alpena locations are great and perfect before we talk about any future after that,” she said.

An independently-owned Hot ‘n Now still operates in Sturgis.