The Last Remaining Dog ‘n Suds Drive-in Restaurant in Michigan

.....and then there was one.....

Just a few years ago Michigan only had two Dog 'n Suds drive-in restaurants left...now there is only one. It is north of Muskegon in Montague.

Hot dogs and root beer...that's what they pushed. And we gobbled 'em up by the millions and drank it down by the tub.

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The first Dog n' Suds appeared in 1953 in Champaign, Illinois, advertising their root beer as "The World's Creamiest" – and who were we to quibble? By 1968 there were over 650 Dog 'n Suds drive-ins nationwide. Like most drive-in food joints of the 50s and 60s, it was an obvious place for the teens to hang out, get picked up, and eat some good food for decent prices after “cruisin' the strip”.

The business was sold in the 1970s and from then on sales drooped.

Montague's Dog 'n Suds opened for the 2023 season on May 3...but not at the classic drive-in location. The new building is just down the road at 4575 Dowling Street. They also have a food truck so they can bring the classic food to local events. Owner Jason Jaekel was quoted in the White Lake Beacon, “We wanted to buy a building for us to have a home base to run the cart out of, and hopefully, eventually, we can work with the owner of the drive-in property and we can be back there operating like it should be at a drive-in restaurant.” That would be cool if they could get back to the drive-in location.

I always thought that dog mascot with the chef's hat and holding a tray with a hot dog and root beer looked like Disney's "Goofy” character. But the Dog 'n Suds dog DOES have his own name – it's “Rover”.

Make a trip this year to Montague to enjoy the only Dog 'n Suds left in Michigan..... hot dogs, root beer, nostalgia, and fun. Come on, man – it's Americana!

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