Can't believe they only have one left now. I grew up in Dayton, OH and we had several of them in the late 80s-early 90s. The ones we had were really small. They were built inside of those old drive up photo developing booths that went the wayside a few years prior. It was actually a very interesting concept. Two man booth restaurants. One cashier operating both the drive thru and walk up window, and one cook operating the tiny kitchen. No dining room, just a couple outdoor tables. That business style enabled them to serve high quality fast food at significantly lower prices than the competition.
BEAST- I grew up in Portage, MI in the 80's and 90's. We made many trips to Hot 'n Now and they seemed pretty popular. But then they all suddenly closed down. Two of the Kalamazoo locations eventually reopened as Checkers.
In the 90s, this was the best burger joint. I remember my parents only spending like $20, and it would be like 4 bags of food lmao... 7:28 is the old shop on airport road in Jackson, Michigan 😢 i miss it so much. It's a coffee place now 🤦
I used to travel a lot helping non-profit Christian Radio stations raise money. I landed for a few years in a row in LaPeer, MI. That is the only place I ever tried Hot N Now. I pulled through on one occasion and read the bottom of the menu board. It said something to the effect of "Grade E but edible beef". When the you ng gal asked me what I wanted to have I simply asked "what is grade E but edible beef?" The was about 30 seconds of silence and then I heard her say "You won't be ordering anything today, will you sir?" I responded …"No.. I think I'll try someplace else." The next year I headed back over to Hot and Now and had a burger and fries..... It was good.
Hot N' Now came to the Birmingham, AL area around 1992 or so. At first, they refused to make special orders, so I didn't eat the burgers as they came with onions, but after they changed this policy, I often ran there for lunch. I can recall around four or five locations here, but by late 1993 to early 1994, they started shutting down as quickly as they opened. There's one location that was re-purposed as a walk-up barbecue stand.
BEAST!! Aw this was awesome! Thanks for covering this! I can't wait to show this my husband and father in law. He's driving out to the one in Sturgis for Father's Day to get one of those olive burgers so I know he'll so get a kick out of seeing this.
BEAST! There's an old restaurant from my childhood that I believe has one location still open. Bonanza. I wouldn't mind seeing an episode on that chain.
@@mrgearhead2252 There's still one open in Sanford Maine. The one in South Portland Maine, I fell in their parking lot at 3 years old, and still have the scar on the side of my nose.
There was one in Oshkosh right next to Mc Donald’s and I think that Mc Donald’s had a playland, I always asked my mom to take me there and she never did for some reason.
Beast- The Coney Dogs at Hot N Now were the best and only 99 cents! The H N N in our town was tore down last year after MANY years of being closed. How about a rewind on Pizza Inn? Keep up the great work and I'll look forward to the next video.
There used be an "Hot and Now" in Merritt Island Florida I would say mid the late 90s closed shortly thereafter. I liked it only because I was only making $4.50 an hour minimum wage as a front end bagger at Winn-Dixie and for $4.50 you could get a full meal, or for less. It wasn't the greatest food but it was "hot and now", I was a little upset when it closed but that's the way it is sometimes. I remember drinks being like $.79, burgers are a $1.00 hot dogs for $0.50 fries were like a dollar something like that real cheap.
BEAST !!!! Great video!!!! I used to eat at Hot N Now all the time when I lived in Florida. I only just found your channel in the last few days, and was thinking he should do a video about Hot N Now. Now before I even got the chance to suggest this in the comments of one of your videos you post this video!!!!
BEAST-I lived in NW IL remember seeing an occasional commercial for them but guessing Southern Wisconsin for that...Down here where I live in NW Arkansas I have seen old pix of MR.Quick and Taco Tico..cant remember if you did one for A&W..Great channel and loyal subscriber keep up the great work
BEAST I really, really enjoy your videos. Growing up in the 60s, 70s and 80s, I feel intimately familiar with most of the chains you’ve covered and it brings back such fond memories of eating out. I do have a couple of future episode suggestions. Growing up in Janesville WI ( a GM plant town) we had probably more than our fair share of “burger joints”, but a couple of “oddball” ones that we’re surely chains but I haven’t seen elsewhere and are long since gone (from Janesville anyway) are “Yankee Doodle Dandy” and “Mr. Quick”. I remember their burgers as good, but probably not the best I’ve ever had, but I can’t help but wonder how Janesville came to have these franchises and what happened to them. Please keep up you videos and I don’t know how possible this would be to do, but you should sell merch with these old and defunct chain logos on them. I would buy a t-shirt from many of the chains you’ve featured! Just love those old logos. I love your channel and anxiously await your videos!
Wow, I remember this place opening up in Elkhart Indiana back in I think 1987. It was great, small cheap burgers. Tasty with the fries to. I remember the menu was vey simple. Just basic burgers and sides. The services was very fast too.
Restaurant Rewind , Well I was a very young teenager when I lived there, but Hot N Now was my favorite chain at the time. As was Penguin Point and Taco Bell. Oh yes and of course Hardees. I live in California now
BEAST. Would you do a video about Hot N Now’s competitor at the time called Get Em N Go? They were based out of Rockford, Michigan and had several locations in Grand Rapids and the surrounding suburbs. Thanks. Love the Burger Chef video.
BEAST - I only recently discovered you videos so I don't know, have you done one on Druther's yet? I'd love to see one on them. I used to go there whenever we'd visit my grandmother. I loved that place.
Jeremy LaMastus funny you should ask! I just was down in Louisville, KY yesterday and had a 2 hour conversation about Druthers history. I am planning a 3-part series, from their origins as Burger Queen, transition to Druthers, and finally where they are now. Stay tuned!!
Great video! I love your research! I have one for you. When I was growing up in Springfield Ohio, we had a place called Burgerman. It had a little fat guy wearing a chef's hat for a mascot. I know it had to be a chain, but it was only around for 2-3 years. I have never been able to find any info on it...maybe you can
Love the rewind!!!!! I was wondering if you could see about doing one one BBF AKA Burger Boy Food-O-Rama and Borden Burger Foods. I remember walking to one in Charleston WV back in the early late 60's to the early 70's when visiting my Grand Parents. It was always know my the tall satellite on a tall pole.. Thanks, Paul
The parent company, Jerrico Inc started Long John Silver's in 1969 and went out of business in the 90s after selling LJS to Yum Brands. Now LJS is owned by a group of franchisees.
BEAST - I was so excited to see this video pop up in my feed! I can remember being a poor college student in Oshkosh WI and practically living off of Hot n Now. Might have to make a trip to Sturgis to get some cheesy potato bites. They closed the location shortly after I graduated and moved from the area. Very sad when I found out.
BEAST! Great job, as always, Troy! Never got to eat at a Hot 'n Now. But, an Olive burger? Ok then! Lol. We had a chain in Florida called The Clock. See what you can dig up on that, please!
BEAST....... I don't think I'll be able to travel to the burger museum, but if you were able to present a virtual tour I would love to see it. There used to be a burger chain here called LICKS.........the seemed to go the way of the Dodo. They had great burgers......too bad. I'm glad I found your channel.
Beast of a video T Roy! I love hearing about good ol food joints that have gone on to the past! We had a Burger Chef here in Bedford IN. when I moved here and it was MMM GOOD. It was bought by Pleasers which was good also then it disappeared and was replaced by a strip-mall :( Keep the great videos a flowin!!!
Beast- Loved Hot N Now and was sad when it was no more but glad to hear there is still one last one around! sounds like a road trip for me now in the future lol...enjoyed your Burger Chef video so very much as it was a staple of my childhood and am not for sure if you have done a video on Burger Queen yet? i clearly remember that fast food place from my youth too(am originally from Louisville KY but live in Michigan now)
BEAST- Nice to hear about Burger Chains that are not in the Southwest region of this country. Sorry to hear about PepsiCo buying the chain. Big Corporations do not know how the local chains work, become part of the area, and people enjoy going to these personal places to have a good meal and meet their friends there. Excellent Video.
Beast: We had a few of these pop up around Charlotte, N.C. around 1993, usually accompanied by a new Taco Bell next door to it. The burgers were good, but slowly over time it became harder to get service and then one day it was simply closed. The Burgertime restaurants are hauntingly similar to the Indy's burger chain I knew of in Mississippi 30 years ago.
Funny thing is that there where a few Hot N Now resultants in south Florida. There was one there where I ate as a kid. Unfortunately the building got torn down and it's a government building now.
@@restaurantrewind9026 Happy Steaks I went to were in California. Last one I went to was in Manteca. The burger Pit was in the California Bay area around Milpitas or Fremont I believe. Hope this helps and keep up the great vids!!!
BEAST - never heard of this one. I do remember the old Dog n Suds we had in Naples, Fl when I was a kid. Another chain I remember was Wuv's, which started in south Florida. Lum's was another interesting chain I remember as well.
BEAST-really enjoy the rewind vids Burger Chef brought tears to my tongue.. Not sure if Curb Burger was a chain (Peru Ind. late 60s early 70s) good burgers great fries.
A hot N Now opened in centerpoint Al in the early 90s. My mom and me pulled through there to try it out. I was a child and hated mustard and pickles, so she requested a plain cheeseburger. They said they could not do specialty orders. So we said Nevermind, and went to McDonalds. Not even 6 months later, they closed, and became a weird burger place called "Top That Grill", which lasted less than a year, then it closed down and left abandoned until Metro PCs bought the building. Good job guys.
"BEAST" Would love to see you do something about more obscure restaurants from my childhood: A chain called the Cape Codder, Bonanza restaurants, and Rix (yes with and "i" roast beef
I plan to begin work on Bonanza and Ponderosa within the next few days. I worked at Bonanza for almost 10 years, and it’s a big part of who I am today. I have Rax in the queue, which of course covers Rix and Jax. Thanks for watching, and stay tuned !!
My dad lives in Allegan, Michigan. I used to go to Hot n Now a lot as a kid. I now live in Arkansas but every time I come to visit my dad I either stop at the Sturgis location on my way to Allegan or on my way back home. I just stopped there today with my wife and two kids I bought about $32 worth of great tasting hot now food and most of it tastes just like it did in the late 90s and early 2000s when I last ate it regularly. It's a shame that they are almost all gone
“BEAST” I was watching your other videos and actually was thinking about Hot n Now some time ago. I would go to the (I think) Midlothian, Illinois area back in the day. I miss that place.. lol.. I also wondered what happened to Cals Roast Beef. When they left many were turned into Pizza Huts for some reason. Anyway. Great videos and thanks for the giveaway opportunity.
I live in Omaha Nebraska, and back in the nineties we had a Hot N Now, it was just down the hill from my apartment building, and I could see it from the deck of my apartment. One morning I was out on my deck having coffee and reading the paper when I saw a truck trying to back up with half a building on it. It was half of the Hot N Now. It wasn't a large building and apparently they preconstructed them and placed them on the foundations that had been prepared. The location was off a very busy street, and there was a very sharp turn to make. The driver who delivered the first half must have known what he was doing and it looked like it went pretty smoothly. Later in the day I heard honking and screeching tires and went out on my deck and saw the second half of the building trying to be set into place. Traffic was much heavier, and the second delivery driver was having a terrible time trying to get the building in place, and I one point I thought the whole building was going to fall apart. Eventually they got it done and it opened. The first couple weeks it was very busy and caused traffic problems on 90th Street, but word of mouth on the food and service was terrible and it didn't take long for things to slow down. I eventually gave it a try and the food was neither hot nor now, and it was pretty bad, never went back. Not many other people did either I guess because it didn't stay open for very long. One day they knocked it down and hauled it away, and a Sonic Drive-In took it's place.
I loved the double olive burger and have talked two managers (there has been a continuous one after the other fast food try this old location) of the current old Hot'n Now building to bring Olive Burgers to their menu... They don't quite have them right, but they are at least an Olive Burger... Currently, there is a Gyro establishment that seems to be doing okay... Ari's Gyros Hunti9ngton IN (the front of the restaurant still looks the same)
Blue Springs Missouri had one briefly, and I mean briefly in the early 90's. It was very fast, I ordered at the drive-thru speaker and when I got to the widow my food was waiting on me. ( I recall that the speaker did seem further away from the serving window than any other drive-thru I had been to, but still the speed was impressive) At the time I thought, wow Pepsi has done it again, this place is fast and cheap and they will be everywhere. I am sometimes wrong. One day it just closed and that was it.
They had Hot 'n Now in Fort Wayne in the 90's... At the time they were selling 39 cent burgers, and they were awful. We called it Rot'n Cow. But as poor college students, it's the best food for the price we could afford at that time.
Beast - I love seeing the different designs of the buildings, not quite the same these days. I would be interested to hear what happened to all the howard johnsons, and how they became a brand of hotels.
Beast - I never heard of Hot N Now before this video but the Olive Burger sounds great. I wish I'd had the chance to try one. Could you do a video about Chicken Delight? They were all over the place when I was a kid in the 1960s but by the 1970s they seemed to just disappear.
Loved Hot n' Now in the 90's we had one in my hometown (Benton Harbor, MI). I was residing in Kalamazoo, MI at the time when they all started to close. I have been to the last one left in Sturgis in the last year those Olive Burgers are still good. You would think by now they would open more locations but that doesn't seem to be the case. So anyone looking for that 90's nostalgia will have to head to Sturgis
BEAST as a life long Michigander, I remember hot n now fondly, they had great burgers at a great price, it was a shame what pepsi did to the brand, it'd be awesome to see a video on another Michigan staple, Fable's, they had THE best olive burger, and made the olive burger so popular in Michigan.
BEAST-While doing temp jobs in the mid 1990s here in Vegas my wife and I sat by the intersection of Nellis Blvd and Bonanza Rd (by a Carl's Junior) and used 4 hand tally counters to count cars traveling N S E W, ultimately a Hot 'n Now opened nearby.
We had one in Fayetteville,NC. The building sat idle for a while then it was turned into a used car dealership. Great memories when the family had the late night munchies.
BEAST.. er, I mean, best stories about restaurant chains are right here on Restaurant Rewind. Always enjoyable. Even the restaurant chains I'm not so familiar with.
There are three Kewpies Restaurants in Lima, Ohio. They grind their hamburger up fresh every morning. Best tasting burgers around. Ps- They started out as hotels in 20's serving burgers, of course. Very small hotels. Been to the Lima area ones SEVERAL times. Love them!
We had an open campus in high school and went to Hot 'N Now almost every day for lunch in the 80s. 39 cent burgers, 39 cent fries, and 39 cent drinks. 49 cents for a cheeseburger. Those prices were unreal, even back then.
In its early years, In N Out served both Coke and Pepsi. I don't know whether or not that was still the case at the time of PepsiCo's Hot N Now purchase.
BEAST. Hot 'n Now sounds great. Reminds me of one of my favorite places as a kid. Wuv's. I'm pretty sure it was just an East Coast place. Just like Geno's. Would love to see a video about Wuv's.
Another note: The Hot n Now was literally next door to a taco bell. Another note: Bill's wife looks like one of those dead people they used make up to look like they were still alive in a post-mortem photo.
Ate there once or twice, at the location in Santa Ana, CA in the mid-90s. I don't remember the food being great, but the lightning bolt logo was memorable. By 1997 it had closed and came back as a Taco Bell. I'd love to be able to eat that cheaply again!
*0:05**-**0:10* is that the one that was on S. Waverly road on the west side of Lansing, MI?! *😲* Because if it is, I worked at that location in the early 2000s! I was there the fateful Tuesday a supervisor brought in her radio, set to 87.7FM (ch. 6 on radios for areas that had a local ch. 6). She said they had Dan Rather on the set of CBS Nees doing a special report about the towers in NYC. We listened, growing more and more horrified by what we were hearing whilst simultaneously getting ready to open. We did, but my dad came and picked me up to take me home around 11AM-Noon that day, IIRC. I was 20 at the time. It’s still a surreal seeming, haunting memory. *😢💔*
BEAST - I used to travel in Michigan and Indiana for business and I always saw these burger places...Sturgis Michigan is about an 1 1/2 from me. I'll have to try it out...
I remember they built a Hot N now in Goose Creek S.C. I used to eat there alot because they were so cheap and when you got to the drive thru your food was ready to go!! I used to have a saying back then. I would say "Hot N Now" and then I'd say "MY ASSHOLES HOT RIGHT NOW!!!"
Can't believe they only have one left now. I grew up in Dayton, OH and we had several of them in the late 80s-early 90s. The ones we had were really small. They were built inside of those old drive up photo developing booths that went the wayside a few years prior. It was actually a very interesting concept. Two man booth restaurants. One cashier operating both the drive thru and walk up window, and one cook operating the tiny kitchen. No dining room, just a couple outdoor tables. That business style enabled them to serve high quality fast food at significantly lower prices than the competition.
I don't think any of them had dining rooms but the one you mention is really small
BEAST- I grew up in Portage, MI in the 80's and 90's. We made many trips to Hot 'n Now and they seemed pretty popular. But then they all suddenly closed down. Two of the Kalamazoo locations eventually reopened as Checkers.
Yeah the one in Battle Creek too, it always looked abandoned I think thats why ppl didn't go.
The last hot n now is here in Sturgis michigan
There was a Hot N' Now in Hanover, PA. that closed in 1994 and sat empty, with the sign still out front, until it was torn down in 2018!
In the 90s, this was the best burger joint. I remember my parents only spending like $20, and it would be like 4 bags of food lmao... 7:28 is the old shop on airport road in Jackson, Michigan 😢 i miss it so much. It's a coffee place now 🤦
I used to travel a lot helping non-profit Christian Radio stations raise money. I landed for a few years in a row in LaPeer, MI. That is the only place I ever tried Hot N Now. I pulled through on one occasion and read the bottom of the menu board. It said something to the effect of "Grade E but edible beef". When the you ng gal asked me what I wanted to have I simply asked "what is grade E but edible beef?" The was about 30 seconds of silence and then I heard her say "You won't be ordering anything today, will you sir?" I responded …"No.. I think I'll try someplace else." The next year I headed back over to Hot and Now and had a burger and fries..... It was good.
Hot N' Now came to the Birmingham, AL area around 1992 or so. At first, they refused to make special orders, so I didn't eat the burgers as they came with onions, but after they changed this policy, I often ran there for lunch. I can recall around four or five locations here, but by late 1993 to early 1994, they started shutting down as quickly as they opened. There's one location that was re-purposed as a walk-up barbecue stand.
Thank you for the video. I worked at Hot N Now from 1992-97 & never knew the story about or why they closed.
BEAST!! Aw this was awesome! Thanks for covering this! I can't wait to show this my husband and father in law. He's driving out to the one in Sturgis for Father's Day to get one of those olive burgers so I know he'll so get a kick out of seeing this.
BEAST!
There's an old restaurant from my childhood that I believe has one location still open. Bonanza. I wouldn't mind seeing an episode on that chain.
There was one in Burbank, Illinois back in the day. They changed it to Matsons Steak House a long time ago. I believe it’s still there.
@@mrgearhead2252 There's still one open in Sanford Maine. The one in South Portland Maine, I fell in their parking lot at 3 years old, and still have the scar on the side of my nose.
We had one of these in Sheboygan, WI in the late '90s. I liked it as I was right out of college.
There was one in Oshkosh right next to Mc Donald’s and I think that Mc Donald’s had a playland, I always asked my mom to take me there and she never did for some reason.
Where in Sheboygan was it?
@@gordonbullis4143 near where the IHOP was, right off the highway 23 exit near memorial mall.
Matthew Kleczewski There was an IHOP? I started working in Sheboygan 14 years ago, and lived there from 2010-2015. Still work there.
@@gordonbullis4143 yes there was on the corner of 23 where it exited next to the Marcus theater.
I remember these, I was a broke college student, and ate there a lot!
Beast- The Coney Dogs at Hot N Now were the best and only 99 cents! The H N N in our town was tore down last year after MANY years of being closed. How about a rewind on Pizza Inn? Keep up the great work and I'll look forward to the next video.
There used be an "Hot and Now" in Merritt Island Florida I would say mid the late 90s closed shortly thereafter. I liked it only because I was only making $4.50 an hour minimum wage as a front end bagger at Winn-Dixie and for $4.50 you could get a full meal, or for less. It wasn't the greatest food but it was "hot and now", I was a little upset when it closed but that's the way it is sometimes. I remember drinks being like $.79, burgers are a $1.00 hot dogs for $0.50 fries were like a dollar something like that real cheap.
Merritt Island? What, next to Pad 39-B?
I never knew that Hot n' now started near me in W. Michigan, I guess that explains why we had 6 Hot n' nows in a town with only 3 mcDonalds.
BEAST !!!! Great video!!!! I used to eat at Hot N Now all the time when I lived in Florida. I only just found your channel in the last few days, and was thinking he should do a video about Hot N Now. Now before I even got the chance to suggest this in the comments of one of your videos you post this video!!!!
BEAST - In west michigan, a few of the closed locations in the mid-90s turned into Spadz Pizza By The Slice.
OMG, I miss Spads. We had one in Muskegon, along with Hot n Now.
Grew up going to the one in GR on Michigan. Was literally raised on the stuff.
What about cold and later
I wish living in Charleston SC when Hot N Now expanded there. It was a good product at a fair price.
BEAST-I lived in NW IL remember seeing an occasional commercial for them but guessing Southern Wisconsin for that...Down here where I live in NW Arkansas I have seen old pix of MR.Quick and Taco Tico..cant remember if you did one for A&W..Great channel and loyal subscriber keep up the great work
Sweet, I live in NW Arkansas too! I visit my Dad in Allegan, MI often and when I do we get HnN on the way home
BEAST-"Richard Loehr" also sold automobiles in Kalamazoo and had a pretty checkered career there too...
There also was quite a few locations in Toledo, Ohio. they all closed then I went to Monroe, MI. and that one closed
BEAST I really, really enjoy your videos. Growing up in the 60s, 70s and 80s, I feel intimately familiar with most of the chains you’ve covered and it brings back such fond memories of eating out. I do have a couple of future episode suggestions. Growing up in Janesville WI ( a GM plant town) we had probably more than our fair share of “burger joints”, but a couple of “oddball” ones that we’re surely chains but I haven’t seen elsewhere and are long since gone (from Janesville anyway) are “Yankee Doodle Dandy” and “Mr. Quick”. I remember their burgers as good, but probably not the best I’ve ever had, but I can’t help but wonder how Janesville came to have these franchises and what happened to them. Please keep up you videos and I don’t know how possible this would be to do, but you should sell merch with these old and defunct chain logos on them. I would buy a t-shirt from many of the chains you’ve featured! Just love those old logos. I love your channel and anxiously await your videos!
Ask me any questions about hot n now if you guys want, I work there :) didn't think they would include photos of my boss in the video tbh 😂
Thanks for doing this! I went to the last Hot n’ now in Sturgis, Michigan last year. Still great!
Wow, I remember this place opening up in Elkhart Indiana back in I think 1987. It was great, small cheap burgers. Tasty with the fries to. I remember the menu was vey simple. Just basic burgers and sides. The services was very fast too.
S.S. MUZE Projects what’s your favorite chain from Elkhart?
Restaurant Rewind , Well I was a very young teenager when I lived there, but Hot N Now was my favorite chain at the time. As was Penguin Point and Taco Bell. Oh yes and of course Hardees. I live in California now
BEAST. Would you do a video about Hot N Now’s competitor at the time called Get Em N Go? They were based out of Rockford, Michigan and had several locations in Grand Rapids and the surrounding suburbs. Thanks. Love the Burger Chef video.
BEAST - I only recently discovered you videos so I don't know, have you done one on Druther's yet? I'd love to see one on them. I used to go there whenever we'd visit my grandmother. I loved that place.
Jeremy LaMastus funny you should ask! I just was down in Louisville, KY yesterday and had a 2 hour conversation about Druthers history. I am planning a 3-part series, from their origins as Burger Queen, transition to Druthers, and finally where they are now. Stay tuned!!
@@restaurantrewind9026 Cool. I look forward to it.
We had one in Toledo back in the early 90s...I remember my mom taking me there when I was in kindergarten
Great video! I love your research! I have one for you. When I was growing up in Springfield Ohio, we had a place called Burgerman. It had a little fat guy wearing a chef's hat for a mascot. I know it had to be a chain, but it was only around for 2-3 years. I have never been able to find any info on it...maybe you can
;-; every so often, I remember my childhood burger joint... But finding this video has given me a small bit of hope. Thank you for making this video
Love the rewind!!!!! I was wondering if you could see about doing one one BBF AKA Burger Boy Food-O-Rama and Borden Burger Foods. I remember walking to one in Charleston WV back in the early late 60's to the early 70's when visiting my Grand Parents. It was always know my the tall satellite on a tall pole.. Thanks, Paul
There was 4 locations where I grew up in Flint Michigan.
BEAST -- Ever heard of Jerry's Drive-In restaurants? They were similar to the Big Boy drive-ins in the 60s.
The parent company, Jerrico Inc started Long John Silver's in 1969 and went out of business in the 90s after selling LJS to Yum Brands. Now LJS is owned by a group of franchisees.
BEAST - I was so excited to see this video pop up in my feed! I can remember being a poor college student in Oshkosh WI and practically living off of Hot n Now. Might have to make a trip to Sturgis to get some cheesy potato bites. They closed the location shortly after I graduated and moved from the area. Very sad when I found out.
BEAST- I remember when we had one in Big Rapids, MI back in the day. We all referred to it as the Rotten Cow.
Lol!
BEAST! Great job, as always, Troy! Never got to eat at a Hot 'n Now. But, an Olive burger? Ok then! Lol. We had a chain in Florida called The Clock. See what you can dig up on that, please!
I remember there was one in Lapeer years ago, sad I never got to try it
BEAST....... I don't think I'll be able to travel to the burger museum, but if you were able to present a virtual tour I would love to see it. There used to be a burger chain here called LICKS.........the seemed to go the way of the Dodo. They had great burgers......too bad. I'm glad I found your channel.
I remeber hot N now very well, the 39 cent burgers
I live in the city with the last one
Beast of a video T Roy! I love hearing about good ol food joints that have gone on to the past! We had a Burger Chef here in Bedford IN. when I moved here and it was MMM GOOD. It was bought by Pleasers which was good also then it disappeared and was replaced by a strip-mall :( Keep the great videos a flowin!!!
"BEAST"
Never even heard of this chain😳. Shame though, ... and neat that one survives!
Beast- Loved Hot N Now and was sad when it was no more but glad to hear there is still one last one around! sounds like a road trip for me now in the future lol...enjoyed your Burger Chef video so very much as it was a staple of my childhood and am not for sure if you have done a video on Burger Queen yet? i clearly remember that fast food place from my youth too(am originally from Louisville KY but live in Michigan now)
BEAST- Nice to hear about Burger Chains that are not in the Southwest region of this country. Sorry to hear about PepsiCo buying the chain. Big Corporations do not know how the local chains work, become part of the area, and people enjoy going to these personal places to have a good meal and meet their friends there. Excellent Video.
Beast: We had a few of these pop up around Charlotte, N.C. around 1993, usually accompanied by a new Taco Bell next door to it. The burgers were good, but slowly over time it became harder to get service and then one day it was simply closed.
The Burgertime restaurants are hauntingly similar to the Indy's burger chain I knew of in Mississippi 30 years ago.
Funny thing is that there where a few Hot N Now resultants in south Florida. There was one there where I ate as a kid. Unfortunately the building got torn down and it's a government building now.
BEAST- Great vids. I love food history. Could you look into The Burger Pit. Also, Happy Steak!!!
Interesting, where were both of these located? I’ll have to see what I can find.
@@restaurantrewind9026 Happy Steaks I went to were in California. Last one I went to was in Manteca. The burger Pit was in the California Bay area around Milpitas or Fremont I believe. Hope this helps and keep up the great vids!!!
BEAST. I really enjoy your videos!
BEAST
I would like a video about godfathers pizza. They were the bet but where did they go?
Also Central Park burgers....same reason
Jason Eustice Godfathers is good stuff! We still have them all over in Nebraska! Good suggestion for a video
@@JZ6563 I should move to Nebraska cause they basically left the south
There are Central Parks in Chattanooga, Tn
@@ronniewatkins i knowilive here and the only one I know of is on Hixson Pike all the others are gone
BEAST - never heard of this one. I do remember the old Dog n Suds we had in Naples, Fl when I was a kid. Another chain I remember was Wuv's, which started in south Florida. Lum's was another interesting chain I remember as well.
BEAST-really enjoy the rewind vids Burger Chef brought tears to my tongue.. Not sure if Curb Burger was a chain (Peru Ind. late 60s early 70s) good burgers great fries.
My town had one down the street who's building is now a local hot dog drive-thru operation that is only open during the spring/summer months.
Indiana here. I use to get hot n now before PM kindergarten back in 1998. Haven’t seen one since I was last in Benton harbor Michigan years ago.
BEAST-Maybe cover Wimpy's the UK chain!?
A hot N Now opened in centerpoint Al in the early 90s. My mom and me pulled through there to try it out. I was a child and hated mustard and pickles, so she requested a plain cheeseburger. They said they could not do specialty orders. So we said Nevermind, and went to McDonalds. Not even 6 months later, they closed, and became a weird burger place called "Top That Grill", which lasted less than a year, then it closed down and left abandoned until Metro PCs bought the building. Good job guys.
BEAST - Great videos, well researched.
BEAST! - Love your channel! Keep up the great work.
BEAST show ever! Thanks for updating me on what happened to the now..😊
Thanks for watching!
"BEAST" Would love to see you do something about more obscure restaurants from my childhood: A chain called the Cape Codder, Bonanza restaurants, and Rix (yes with and "i" roast beef
I plan to begin work on Bonanza and Ponderosa within the next few days. I worked at Bonanza for almost 10 years, and it’s a big part of who I am today. I have Rax in the queue, which of course covers Rix and Jax. Thanks for watching, and stay tuned !!
My dad lives in Allegan, Michigan. I used to go to Hot n Now a lot as a kid. I now live in Arkansas but every time I come to visit my dad I either stop at the Sturgis location on my way to Allegan or on my way back home. I just stopped there today with my wife and two kids I bought about $32 worth of great tasting hot now food and most of it tastes just like it did in the late 90s and early 2000s when I last ate it regularly. It's a shame that they are almost all gone
“BEAST” I was watching your other videos and actually was thinking about Hot n Now some time ago. I would go to the (I think) Midlothian, Illinois area back in the day. I miss that place.. lol.. I also wondered what happened to Cals Roast Beef. When they left many were turned into Pizza Huts for some reason. Anyway. Great videos and thanks for the giveaway opportunity.
I live in Omaha Nebraska, and back in the nineties we had a Hot N Now, it was just down the hill from my apartment building, and I could see it from the deck of my apartment. One morning I was out on my deck having coffee and reading the paper when I saw a truck trying to back up with half a building on it. It was half of the Hot N Now. It wasn't a large building and apparently they preconstructed them and placed them on the foundations that had been prepared. The location was off a very busy street, and there was a very sharp turn to make. The driver who delivered the first half must have known what he was doing and it looked like it went pretty smoothly. Later in the day I heard honking and screeching tires and went out on my deck and saw the second half of the building trying to be set into place. Traffic was much heavier, and the second delivery driver was having a terrible time trying to get the building in place, and I one point I thought the whole building was going to fall apart. Eventually they got it done and it opened. The first couple weeks it was very busy and caused traffic problems on 90th Street, but word of mouth on the food and service was terrible and it didn't take long for things to slow down. I eventually gave it a try and the food was neither hot nor now, and it was pretty bad, never went back. Not many other people did either I guess because it didn't stay open for very long. One day they knocked it down and hauled it away, and a Sonic Drive-In took it's place.
I always preferred Bronco's when in Omaha.
I loved the double olive burger and have talked two managers (there has been a continuous one after the other fast food try this old location) of the current old Hot'n Now building to bring Olive Burgers to their menu... They don't quite have them right, but they are at least an Olive Burger... Currently, there is a Gyro establishment that seems to be doing okay... Ari's Gyros Hunti9ngton IN (the front of the restaurant still looks the same)
Beast! I'd love to see a video on Po Folks and Black Eyed Pea.
WickedWonder1979 oh yeah!
haha, we still have one here in Sturgis. I didn’t know the owner started in Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo though.
Blue Springs Missouri had one briefly, and I mean briefly in the early 90's. It was very fast, I ordered at the drive-thru speaker and when I got to the widow my food was waiting on me. ( I recall that the speaker did seem further away from the serving window than any other drive-thru I had been to, but still the speed was impressive) At the time I thought, wow Pepsi has done it again, this place is fast and cheap and they will be everywhere. I am sometimes wrong. One day it just closed and that was it.
They had Hot 'n Now in Fort Wayne in the 90's... At the time they were selling 39 cent burgers, and they were awful. We called it Rot'n Cow. But as poor college students, it's the best food for the price we could afford at that time.
Beast - I love seeing the different designs of the buildings, not quite the same these days. I would be interested to hear what happened to all the howard johnsons, and how they became a brand of hotels.
I have HoJo in the queue. Hopefully I can get to it soon. Thanks for watching!
We had a lot of these in Birmingham AL in the early 90s. They didn't do well mainly because the food was always cold or soggy.
Beast - I never heard of Hot N Now before this video but the Olive Burger sounds great. I wish I'd had the chance to try one. Could you do a video about Chicken Delight? They were all over the place when I was a kid in the 1960s but by the 1970s they seemed to just disappear.
Loved Hot n' Now in the 90's we had one in my hometown (Benton Harbor, MI). I was residing in Kalamazoo, MI at the time when they all started to close. I have been to the last one left in Sturgis in the last year those Olive Burgers are still good. You would think by now they would open more locations but that doesn't seem to be the case. So anyone looking for that 90's nostalgia will have to head to Sturgis
Beast- We had "Checkers" here in Kansas City and with in 12 years they were all closed. What happened???
BEAST as a life long Michigander, I remember hot n now fondly, they had great burgers at a great price, it was a shame what pepsi did to the brand, it'd be awesome to see a video on another Michigan staple, Fable's, they had THE best olive burger, and made the olive burger so popular in Michigan.
BEAST-While doing temp jobs in the mid 1990s here in Vegas my wife and I sat by the intersection of Nellis Blvd and Bonanza Rd (by a Carl's Junior) and used 4 hand tally counters to count cars traveling N S E W, ultimately a Hot 'n Now opened nearby.
We had one in Fayetteville,NC. The building sat idle for a while then it was turned into a used car dealership.
Great memories when the family had the late night munchies.
BEAST Whatever happened to Brown Derby? And Trader Vic's?
BEAST.. er, I mean, best stories about restaurant chains are right here on Restaurant Rewind. Always enjoyable. Even the restaurant chains I'm not so familiar with.
BEAST - Love the videos. Would like to see something about Kewpie's or even Carrol's Restaurants
There are three Kewpies Restaurants in Lima, Ohio. They grind their hamburger up fresh every morning. Best tasting burgers around. Ps- They started out as hotels in 20's serving burgers, of course. Very small hotels. Been to the Lima area ones SEVERAL times. Love them!
I think he’s done a video on Carrol’s.
We had an open campus in high school and went to Hot 'N Now almost every day for lunch in the 80s. 39 cent burgers, 39 cent fries, and 39 cent drinks. 49 cents for a cheeseburger. Those prices were unreal, even back then.
We STILL go to that Hot n Now in Sturgis. 2hr roundtrip for us. We go every few weeks. Well Worth It.
BEAST an episode on Rax roast beef would be interesting!
Chase Edwards oh HELL yes! I miss their shakes
In its early years, In N Out served both Coke and Pepsi. I don't know whether or not that was still the case at the time of PepsiCo's Hot N Now purchase.
Yes I have heard that. Interesting story!
I miss this place, the food was pretty good and was cheap.
I remember the Wisconsin Rapids and Stevens Point locations.
BEAST- Love these videos. Could you do one on Bonanza Restaurants?
the last one is in my town
2:59 Damn. Sounds like more of a horn dog than a burger and fry salesman. "Pour himself into other people" is definitely perverted
What happens to Henry's burger, I live in Benton Harbor, MI. And I think it's the last one
BEAST!! Rax roast beef,Sambo's,and Chi-Chi's( my sister loved that place). Love the video.
BEAST. Hot 'n Now sounds great. Reminds me of one of my favorite places as a kid. Wuv's. I'm pretty sure it was just an East Coast place. Just like Geno's. Would love to see a video about Wuv's.
Another note: The Hot n Now was literally next door to a taco bell. Another note: Bill's wife looks like one of those dead people they used make up to look like they were still alive in a post-mortem photo.
BEAST What killed off Kenny Rogers Roasters in the US and is it true they still exist in Southeast Asia?
Ate there once or twice, at the location in Santa Ana, CA in the mid-90s. I don't remember the food being great, but the lightning bolt logo was memorable. By 1997 it had closed and came back as a Taco Bell. I'd love to be able to eat that cheaply again!
*0:05**-**0:10* is that the one that was on S. Waverly road on the west side of Lansing, MI?! *😲* Because if it is, I worked at that location in the early 2000s!
I was there the fateful Tuesday a supervisor brought in her radio, set to 87.7FM (ch. 6 on radios for areas that had a local ch. 6). She said they had Dan Rather on the set of CBS Nees doing a special report about the towers in NYC. We listened, growing more and more horrified by what we were hearing whilst simultaneously getting ready to open. We did, but my dad came and picked me up to take me home around 11AM-Noon that day, IIRC. I was 20 at the time. It’s still a surreal seeming, haunting memory. *😢💔*
Oh, and also that location kept its design but eventually morphed into a (Spad’s) Twisters Ice Cream, I believe in the 2010s.
"BEAST" That Hot n Now burger looked good.
BEAST - I used to travel in Michigan and Indiana for business and I always saw these burger places...Sturgis Michigan is about an 1 1/2 from me. I'll have to try it out...
Born and raised in sturgis Michigan weird to know that it is still here
Loved Hot n Now. Cheap food that was pretty tasty. Only one open in Sturgis, MI now.
BEAST=Another Great Video! I'd love to see one for RAX and Kenny Roger's Roasters.
I remember they built a Hot N now in Goose Creek S.C. I used to eat there alot because they were so cheap and when you got to the drive thru your food was ready to go!! I used to have a saying back then. I would say "Hot N Now" and then I'd say "MY ASSHOLES HOT RIGHT NOW!!!"