America's Last Hot 'n Now Still Open in Sturgis: But for How Long

Forget all the other burger places you've been to. Sure, you may have your favorites, but it seems the most rabid burger fans are the ones who travel miles out of their way to visit the last remaining Hot 'n Now location in the entire country...and it's in Sturgis, Michigan.

Hot 'n Now began in Kalamazoo in 1984, with hamburgers just 39 cents. The menu was simple – the way fast food burger joints used to be – with fries, pop and shakes. The place became so popular, it quickly expanded to 150 restaurants throughout the United States.

So what happened? In the 1990s, profits suffered thanks to the individual units constantly being sold, bought, re-sold, re-bought, re-re-sold, re-re-bought...you get the picture. Finally, bankruptcy set in. All but one location shut down permanently.

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And the fans are numerous. Typical remarks by fans on Yelp include:
“Fries were fantastic. Service was top notch. Inexpensive and delicious.”
“Love that there's one remaining and how busy it was.”
“The burgers are really really tasty, the buns are soft but toasted.”
“The food was better than I remember.”
“The ingredients just taste better than your burger king or McDonalds.”
“Traveled 2.5 hours through the backroads to get to this last standing Hot N Now. It was worth the scenic drive.”
“We need to protect this joint.”
“You are missing out on a seriously lost gem in the fast food industry.”

Fans occasionally ask the question “how long will it last?” It seems like it will hang in there for quite a while, as long as the fans keep coming and the word-of-mouth keeps going.