People, Places, and Plates: Jonesville’s Coney Hut Drive Inn

Home City News People, Places, and Plates: Jonesville’s Coney Hut Drive Inn
People, Places, and Plates: Jonesville’s Coney Hut Drive Inn
Vintage cars at the Coney Hut Drive Inn, which has been in business since 1958.
Courtesy | Facebook

Just outside downtown Jonesville sits Coney Hut Drive Inn: a drive-in restaurant reminiscent of 1960s America with its bright, blocky color scheme and extensive menu of hot dogs, burgers, and more.

Coney Hut Drive Inn is open seasonally from March through October and has been in business since 1958 under a number of owners. Suzette Finley is the current owner and has run the drive-in since 1999. At its establishment, the drive-in was called Dogs and Suds after two of its most popular menu items: hot dogs and root beer. 

Other popular menu items include specialty burgers, chicken sandwiches, ice cream, onion rings, and even shrimp dinner plates, according to Finley.

“From A to Z, we’ve got a big selection,” Finley said.

Finley said the current menu is largely authentic to its origins, though she and other owners before her have added a few items. Some have stuck, but others have not been as popular with visitors.

“I tried salads once, which didn’t work,” Finley said. “I did figure out that people are kind of stuck in their ways here.”

Many customers have frequented the drive-in for years, according to Finley.

“I have customers that come back that have been gone fifty years and say, ‘I used to come here when I was a teenager,’” Finley said. “There are people that have grown up and are bringing their kids and then are bringing their grandchildren.”

Coney Hut Drive Inn is open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. On Sunday, it is open from noon until 8 p.m.