, MI (2014) Hot 'n Now was founded in
Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1984 by William Van Domelen. Van Domelen had opened the first Michigan Wendy's restaurants and was a franchisee of
Burger Chef in Southwest Michigan. By 1990, the chain operated more than 100 stores in 15 different states, having grown rapidly due to the success of its simplistic operation and 39 cent price for hamburgers, fries, and soda - substantially less than what competitors charged. which placed operations under its
Taco Bell unit. Van Domelen resigned from the company soon after the sale. The company began making changes to the chain's concept that frustrated the franchisees, starting in 1992 with the menu. Hot 'n Now President Don Pierce left the company in 1993. Support to franchisees declined soon thereafter. Hot 'n Now was treated as a test brand. In the first quarter 1995, the company closed 80 corporate owned stores with the expectation to sell all the corporate owned locations to franchisees or licensees. In October 2003, Proquest Capital Corporation acquired Hot 'n Now assets and some liabilities from Hot 'n Now, LLC. Proquest was soon renamed to Hot Brands, Inc. At the time of acquisition, the chain had 44 locations (23 corporate and 21 franchisee owned), in three states: Michigan, Wisconsin, and Indiana. In 2004, the company filed for
Chapter 11 bankruptcy and was then sold to STEN Corporation, which also owns the
Burger Time chain. Burger Time was sold to BTND, LLC, which owned the Hot 'n Now name. After one of the last two locations, which was in Bay City, Michigan suffered a fire on September 5, 2016; Through a partnership known as HNN Holdings, Konczak announced plans to open new Hot 'n Now locations in Alpena and Grand Rapids in 2025. The first such location was announced for opening in
Wayland, Michigan in October 2025. Wayland, Michigan's location opened for business on October 13, 2025. ==See also==