Hot ‘n Now (Wayland)
1146 129th AvenueNostalgia is a powerful thing.
I’m going to preface this by saying I didn’t grow up in Michigan. I grew up in the Chicago area. I don’t even know if there ever were Hot ‘n Now’s in Illinois but I know I never ate at one and my family ate at all of the fast food places. We were definitely a chain/fast food family.
As we all know, only one of the original Hot ‘n Now’s survived. That one in Sturgis is the only remnant remaining of the original chain. It’s been in continuous operation since the chain was thriving and once the parent company went bankrupt, the owners continued running it the best they could true to the original ways of the beloved chain.
Fast forward to 2025. Hot ‘n Now is back as a chain. Gun Lake Investments bought the brand and is recreating the iconic drive thrus and burgers that so many Michiganders grew up loving. The plan was to open two locations right away. One in Wayland. One in Alpena. The Sturgis location continues to operate as the direct lineage to Hot ‘n Now but is not part of this chain revitalization.
I’ve eaten at the one in Sturgis a couple of times. Again, no memory of the original chain. I’ve always thought the burgers were good but it was too much of a fast food burger for me to get the reason anyone would drive hours other than for the nostalgia. Which is actually a really good business model for them.
Now it was time to eat at the resurrection in Wayland.
The first of the new Hot ‘n Now chain locations is across the street from Gun Lake Casino on 129th Avenue east of the US-131 interchange. The building sits kind of behind the Noonday Market gas station which houses a really tasty Which Wich. The building will be instantly recognizable to those Gen X/Millenial Michiganders who grew up with it. They’re actually pre-fab buildings built off site and then assemble at the location. The only difference is that instead of the double drive through the original buildings had, there is only one drive thru lane. The second drive through lane is closed off now and servs as a walk up window.
As you can imagine, there is a lot of demand for Hot ‘n Now right now with this being the only one of the new locations open. People are driving long distances to get there. Fortunately, the road around this Hot ‘n Now doesn’t really lead to anywhere else and they have set up a pretty elaborate queing system to make sure traffic doesn’t back up on to 129th Avenue.
It looks confusing at first because you actually have to go the wrong one and double back the right way. You can’t turn in to the restaurant’s drive thru lane right now the way you eventually will when things settle down. Just follow the signs for now and you’ll be fine.
I pulled in on a Friday afternoon around 4 PM. It wasn’t super busy but there was a line 15-20 cars deep. The line moved pretty quickly though because the menu is pretty small. It’s literally just a few burger options and a few side options.
I would have preferred to use the walk up option but that wasn’t available. The parking area was closed off and everyone had to use the drive thru. This isn’t one of those new fancy drive thrus either. It’s just an old speaker box with the menu next to it. No fancy display boards that change or show you what you ordered. You just yell in to the speaker than head to the window on the other side to pay and pick up.
I ordered two double cheeseburgers and an order of cheesy taters. I had no idea what cheesy taters were but I decided to try them. Apparently they were a staple of the old Hot ‘n Now so that should make fans happy. The cost, with no drink because I was just going to go to the gas station and get bottles of Pepsi, was about $14. No, you’re not going to get the $.69 burgers so stop bitching about it being more expensive than you remember. $14 for two burgers and a side is still a pretty good deal.
I actually started with the Cheesy Taters because I had no idea what they were. The best way I can describe them to someone who hasn’t seen them before, they’re like cheese filled tater tots. The outside is nice and golden brown and really crispy. The inside is soft and pillowy and filled with cheese. I’m not a huge tater tot guy so these were just alright to me. I’m guessing J or L would really love them. I would eat them again if they were in front of me but I might just stick to the fries next time.
The two burgers were identical. Each had two fast food burger patties with a layer of American cheese in between them and on top. The sandwich also comes with ketchup, mustard, and pickles. I left everything on because I didn’t know what actually was on them and I wanted to see. I have this weird thing were I can kind of dig the mustard/ketchup combo on a fast food burger. Not all the time but it is a vibe. The burger was much better than I was expecting. It’s just something about the mustard, ketcup, and pickle combo with American cheese. It’s just an interesting flavor combination…a totally fast food flavor combination, but it makes for a good burger. The meat itself isn’t anything to brag about. I wrote in my blog post from Sturgis it was kind of dry and that’s true of this burger as well. I almost never advocate for toppings on a burger but this is one time I will. I think it’s that cheap fast food flavor combination that really makes these sandwiches pop.
Is this Hot ‘n Now the Hot ‘n Now you remember? Is this Hot ‘n Now true to the Hot ‘n Now legacy? I don’t know. You’ll need someone who grew up here to tell you that. I did really enjoy my meal though. I wouldn’t wait in line for hours for it but as the nostalgia hype dies down, more locations open, and lines get shorter, it’s definitely a burger to throw in to my fast food rotation.
SW Michigan Dining 