tesg's guide to big chain road food consumption

CHAIN -- Hot n' Now
Owner -- Unclear...trademarks probably held by Burger Time
Primary Operating Region -- Michigan
Number of Locations -- 14 (August, 2005)

It was a ritual for a couple of years. When passing through Omaha, get a whole bunch of food at Hot n' Now on the way out. We liked their burgers. We liked their fries. We liked that they put a burger with green olives on the menu, though we'd never dare try it. We knew we'd need to eat there every chance we got, because we knew they wouldn't be around long. NOBODY ate there but us.

Hot n' Now was Michigan's double-drive-thru el cheapo burger chain in the days when it was fashionable to start such a thing. But Hot n' Now ended up being purchased by PepsiCo in 1990 to give their restaurant division a burger chain (I guess Burger King wasn't for sale.) Taco Bell franchisees opened a bunch of them across the country (the most common number thrown around is 150, but I thought it was higher).  They were around for about fifteen minutes, then PepsiCo gave up on the concept and sold the chain in 1997. The Taco Bell franchisees across the country closed their outlets, and Hot n Now was once again a small regional chain...43 locations in 2003.

Holt, Michigan-based Hot Brands filed bankruptcy in 2004 and merged with a telephone company.  In 2005, the remains were picked up by Sten Corporation, who had another double-drive thru concept in Fargo-based Burger Time.  But Sten got out in 2007 and moved on to a finance business, presumably leaving the Hot n' Now trademarks in Burger Time's hands, but who knows.

Hot n' Now's menu was relatively simple last time I saw one. Burgers ranged from the $.69 single to the $2.99 triple cheeseburger with bacon. The Olive burger was still there.  There were a few chicken items, a fish sandwich, fries, and some occasional odd items like Deep Fried Cookie Dough…yes, breaded and deep fried chocolate chip cookie dough. I thought it was kind of tasty.  Wife #1 thought it was kind of gross.  Everything seemed to be cooked to order.

The milkshakes were good. When the chocolate shake gets warm, it takes on a taste like Black Cherry. Don't ask me why. It just does.

There really isn't a lot to say about Hot n' Now currently.  The obvious guess is that the few remaining locations will soldier on as independent operations (no franchise support) until they die and that'll be it.  A sad end, to be sure.  But nobody can say they didn't get their shot to shine.

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