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Today, given Covid-19, you can only order from your car. Typically you order from a car hop or inside at the counter, where you find a few seats. This tiny, almost hidden drive-in sits within a few steps of the International Bridge and is the most charming place on this list. Any burger can be made as a “Wimpy” version.

It’s the perfect size if you don’t want to share with someone else. Not on the menu is the “Wimpy” Burger, which comes in at 1/4 pound. It’s just your classic, hearty burger, folks. Topped the way you like it, any burger can be a “Cub” - meaning it’s a 1/2 pound burger. It’s a 1-pound burger that is topped with ham, mushrooms, banana peppers, as well as lettuce, tomato, onions and mayo. On this visit, he brought out his greatest hits, many that we had in 2013, and the same burgers that made the Brown Bear, and its sister restaurant in Pentwater, one of Michigan’s Best. The buns are sourced from Morat’s Bakery in Muskegon, which are delivered fresh daily. The beef is cooked on a well-seasoned grill, and it’s always fresh, never frozen, which he hand patties every day. He seasons his 80/20 blend of ground chuck from GFS with a special house blend seasoning, which we watched him sprinkle generously in his tiny kitchen. “If it works, why change things?” Carter said. The menu, which consists of about 11 burgers, looked about the same when we visited seven years ago. It’s a no-frills burger joint/family restaurant that attracts the locals and travelers year-round. The Brown Bear has been around since the end of the Prohibition Era with Andy and Dee Carter taking it on in 1994. Not much has changed about the Brown Bear since it finished in the Top 10 on our first search for Michigan’s Best Burger in 2013. In addition, Otto wants you to try his favorite burger on the menu, The Unit 8, which comes with creamy cookie butter (yes, cookie butter), bacon, Swiss cheese and garlic aioli mustard on a pretzel bun. “And since then we just make them when customers ask, but it’s really helped launch customers into requesting 2 or 3 patties on burgers,” Otto said. The Big Daddy debuted about two years ago as a special on Monday nights. The three-patty burger is capable of feeding a family of four.

The 1.5-pound burger is topped with lettuce, tomato, ketchup, mustard, pickle, onion and cheese. The most impressive is “The Big Daddy,” which is on his secret menu. On our visit, we tried four burgers and a patty melt. He uses Ed’s Breads for most of his buns. His motto: “Keep it simple.” He gets a 79-21 blend of lean ground beef from GFS and smashes it on his flattop grill, which makes the burgers ooze from the buns. You can get a 1/2-pound burger for less than $5. Pre-Covid they sold about 175 burgers on Fridays and Saturdays, and even on “Throwback Thursdays” when the burgers (and sandwiches) sell for a discount price on a special menu. But with owner Josh Otto, who took over in 2012, the bar has become more of a destination restaurant than a nightclub. With a history dating back to the late 1800s, the Wayland Hotel & Bar has been a longtime favorite for residents.