A few years back I became friends with David Hosticka online. David owns the Dog ‘n Suds locations in Montague (which has been in the Hosticka family for over 50 years) & Muskegon, both in Michigan. He also recently acquired a shuttered Dog ‘n Suds location in Lake City, Michigan which he hopes to revamp and give some of that Hosticka magic.
David is also the authority when it comes to the history of Dog ‘n Suds, his knowledge came in very handy when I was writing my book All About The Burger. He has also donated a bunch of Dog ‘n Suds historical memorabilia to my Burger Museum so thanks to him DnS is very well represented there.
In late 2017 I held my semi-annual event Wiener Bash and David drove down to Miami, Florida with wieners & coney sauce on dry ice to participate in the competition. We had a great time and I finally had the opportunity to try one of their famed Coney Dogs. At the Burger Museum, we sell Dog ‘n Suds Root Beer so I felt pretty fulfilled on the DnS front but I knew that a visit to one of his Dog ‘n Suds was now absolutely mandatory.
When I began piecing together my road trip book signing itinerary, I knew in my Charco Broiled Burger heart that Dog ‘n Suds had to be one of the stops. I called David and ran the idea past him. He wholeheartedly agreed.
My wife Marcela and I finally had the opportunity to drop in, enjoy the ambiance and marvel at the detail that he had put into making this Dog ‘n Suds a drive-in masterpiece. If that wasn’t enough, the food was killer too.
I can’t heap enough praise on that Charco Broiled Texas Burger with its American Cheese, Special Sandwich Sauce and Coney Sauce on a perfectly toasted Double Decker Bun. What about the Coney Dog with its sweet & addictive Coney Sauce, Mustard and Onions? Or how about their Root Beer served in a Frosty Glass Mug? It was an experience of a lifetime. I just wish that there were still some Dog ‘n Suds locations in Miami like there were back in the 1960s.
Muskegon, Michigan Menu
Frosty Root Beer
Cheese Curds
Corn Dog
Dog ‘n Suds Meal
Black Cherry Ice Cream Float
Cheeseburger & Black Cherry Ice Cream Float
French Fries with a side of Coney Sauce
Double Bacon Burger
Coney Dog with Onions & Mustard
Charco Broiled Texas Burger
All About The Burger Book Signing at Dog ‘n Suds
Dog ‘n Suds Book Signing – Saturday May 11th, 2019
One of the highlights of the book signing was that I finally met Troy Smith of Restaurant Rewind. He drove all the way from Chicago, Illinois for the signing. We spent most of the afternoon discussing old restaurants chains in between the signings.
Marcela took a bunch of pictures of the restaurant portion of the Dog ‘n Suds Drive-In before the book signing started. I hope you enjoy them.
Dine In Area
Kitchen Area
Historical Memorabilia
Restaurant Rewind’s Troy Smith
Vintage Dog ‘n Suds Picture
Jukebox
Burger Beast signing his book “All About The Burger”
More Historical Memorabilia
Maria, Juliauna, Burger Beast & Dog ‘n Suds owner Dave Hosticka
Thank you to David Hosticka for all the hospitality. We hope to visit again when the Lake City, Michigan location opens in 2020. It would also be the perfect time to host a “Wiener Bash” in Michigan but that’s a conversation for another day!
P.S.: Please visit David’s and my historical project, the Drive-In Restaurants with Car Hops across the U.S. page (click here). We are trying to keep an accurate list of all operating Drive-Ins with Car Hops across the United States. If you know of one that I not listed, please drop us a line and tell us!
Visit one of Hosticka’s Dog ‘n Suds:
Dog ‘n Suds
4221 Grand Haven Road
Muskegon, Michigan 49441
231-798-4976
Dog ‘n Suds
4454 Dowling St
Montague, Michigan 49437
231-894-4991
