Hot 'n Now

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Hot 'n Now was a Midwestern burger fast-food restaurant based in Holt, Michigan. In 2004 the company filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy, after which it was sold to STEN corporation. The chain's main advertising campaign in the mid-1990s was based around its extremely low prices, including hamburgers, fries, and sodas for only 39 cents each.

Hot 'n Now was founded in Michigan in 1984, and began franchising activities in 1987. The brand and idea was marketed heavily, and was at one time owned by PepsiCo, which placed operations under its Taco Bell branch. At one time, there were more than 150 locations stretching all the way to Fort Lauderdale, Florida and Gresham, Oregon. However, as the chain grew exponentially, the quality of the product began to decline. Low-quality food products and competition from McDonalds and Burger King, along with regional outlets such as Steak n Shake and Sonic Drive-In, have been cited as reasons for Hot 'n Now's downfall. In other words, the inexpensive cost was not enough to compensate for the sometimes sub-standard quality of the food, building, or labor.

Many Hot 'n Now locations featured a standard building design, similar to many other fast food chains. However, many locations focused entirely on drive-thru, with customers placing their orders with an employee on one side of the building, and then driving around to pick up their order on the other. This setup, which emphazised speed, required a smaller structure and therefore much less land. The Hot 'n Now buildings usually appeared much more narrow than wide from the street, while also appearing unusually tall at around 2 stories with its slanted roof. The building itself incorporated the company's logo colors: mostly white and purple, and some red and yellow. The unique design of the Hot 'n Now structure has allowed new businesses to move into a few closed restaurants. For example, several vacant Hot 'n Now properties were turned into drive-thru coffee establishments in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Hot 'n Now is still rather famous with college students, as the name is synonymous with cheap food.

[edit] Confirmed Open Locations

The chain is still operating at locations in Michigan and Wisconsin. Although no website exists to provide location information, confirmed locations of open Hot 'N' Now restaurants are in the following cities: