WAYLAND, Mich. — Construction crews earlier this week delivered and assembled the building across the street from Gun Lake Casino Resort, which will open as a new Hot ‘n Now restaurant location in October.
Representatives of Gun Lake Investments and Alpena business owner and developer Jeff Konczak, the new owners of the Hot ‘n Now franchise, were at the site to witness the 737-square-foot drive-thru building, with its iconic red metal roof, being delivered and, with the help of a large crane, assembled into the final structure that customers will soon be able to visit.
The structure was manufactured in Alpena by Konczak’s company, B Cubed Manufacturing, using its ‘plug and play’ concept, which allows for the structure to be constructed off-site and assembled on location.
Once the Wayland location opens in October, it will operate from 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Sunday through Thursday, and from 10:30 a.m. to 1 a.m., Friday and Saturday. The restaurant is located at 1146 129th Avenue, directly behind GLI’s Noonday Market and across the street from Gun Lake Casino Resort.
Although the building is officially set in place, construction crews and HNN Holding’s staff will continue to work on various finishing touches, such as the installation of state-of-the-art cooking equipment and final utility hookups.
The company is also currently hiring and training staff for various roles. The restaurant will eventually employ up to 35 people.
Once complete, patrons will see the restaurant’s signature items on the menu, such as The Olive Burger and Cheesy Taters. A full menu and pricing are expected to be finalized shortly before the grand opening festivities.
“Today, we are one step closer to bringing the nostalgic Hot ‘n Now brand back with new refreshed elements,” said Monica King, CEO of GLI. “It’s very exciting to witness the assembly process and watch that iconic logo and red roof top it all off!”
Based in Grand Rapids, GLI is an economic development corporation wholly owned by the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi, also known as the Gun Lake Tribe. GLI manages a private, non-gaming portfolio of equity and debt investments in real estate and operating companies.
“It’s been an exciting past 48 hours from getting our semi-trucks out of our facility in Alpena and then seeing the sections lifted into place,” said Jeff Konczak, Owner of B Cubed Manufacturing. “I get to witness a lot of our deliveries and assemblies, but this one has been especially enjoyable.”
Konczak, a longtime business owner and developer in Northeast Michigan, owns B Cubed Manufacturing. B Cubed makes modular drive-thru buildings, most notably for Biggby Coffee’s B Cubed drive-thru concept.
Once the Wayland location opens, HNN Holdings hopes to begin construction of its Alpena location. The company has not announced plans for future locations but is actively exploring opportunities.
The company has launched a website, www.hot-n-now.com, where consumers can stay updated on construction, view the menu, and receive notifications about future announcements.
