![]() ![]() Management mixed with restaurant workers well and often participated in training exercises, including taste tests, she said. ![]() She was Hot 'n Now's human resources manager at its Holt headquarters.įranke recalls that her position covered 1,300 employees spread out at about 40 stores. In Sturgis, Van Zelst and his staff try to stick with what made Hot 'n Now work during the chain's prime. At that time, the franchise had 14 locations throughout Michigan. Hot 'n Now filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2004.įourteen months later, a Minneapolis company acquired Hot 'n Now for $175,000. "When everybody was in charge, nobody was in charge," Van Zelst said. Van Zelst said the chain's profitability went south in the mid to late 1990s because the company couldn't withstand the ownership changes and micromanaging. The Lansing region's position as one of the brand's top markets and its Michigan ties were among reasons why company officials decided to call Holt home. Eventually, its corporate headquarters moved to Holt. Hot 'n Now changed ownership several times and was once owned by Taco Bell Inc. Without dining areas, Hot 'n Now restaurants across the country kept overhead low and lured customers with low prices.įounder William Van Domelen, of Kalamazoo, created the concept in 1984 and experienced explosive growth with his business model until about 1990. It's been open since 1990 and draws about 300 customers daily, he said. Van Zelst said he still enjoys running the Sturgis restaurant with a crew of about 25 employees. “They don’t bother me, and I don’t bother them. “I don’t know who that is and I will not bring that up," Van Zelst said of the trademark owner. Messages left with Minneapolis-based Theodore Magee, listed as the trademark's "correspondent," weren't returned. ![]() (Again, we don’t know what year you’re reading this in, so please do let us know what ends up happening.A State Journal reporter, with help from a Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs official, found filings online that indicate the trademark is owned by BTND LLC of West Fargo, N.D., which renewed it in 2016. (This may or may not be accurate given what year you are currently reading this in, but that’s not really our problem.) Frank’s RedHot ® is the #1 American Hot Sauce brand, which is now sold in 20 countries around the world, and shows no signs of letting up anytime in the near future. “I put that $#!t on everything” comes out of sweet, ol’ Ethel’s lips and jolts people out of their comfort zones, never to return again.Ĭut to Present Day. Let’s skip over Y2K, because that just really was not a thing whatsoever. Buffalo Wings are so popular now, Frank’s RedHot ® creates a pre-made Buffalo Wing sauce because who wants to mix anything by hand anymore, right? It’s 1996. Don’t think we really need to say anymore on the subject. They decide to use Frank’s to invent Buffalo Wings. Bless their spicy hearts.įast forward to 1920, where the first ever bottle of Frank’s RedHot is, well, bottled.įACT: There is only one of those original bottles left in existence. Because over in New Iberia, Louisiana, Adam Estilette & Jacob Frank partner up to create a hot sauce perfectly spiced with a rich blend of cayenne peppers. The year is 1918.In Detroit, horse-drawn carriages have fully given way to automobiles, and yet, who really cares. ![]()
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