UPDATE: A previous version of the story had an incorrect spelling of the owner’s name. It has been corrected.

PORTAGE, MI -- The lakeside burger joint West Lake Drive-In is looking for new ownership to keep the old fashioned restaurant running.

Kim Neeb and his wife, Sherri, took over the popular Portage spot in 2012 after pining for it for years, he said.

“It was always a dream of mine to have it,” Kim Neeb said.

The couple, who lives on West Lake, weren’t in the restaurant business before owning the beloved restaurant, 9138 Portage Road. Kim is a retired pipe fitter and Sherri worked in daycare.

Food costs and minimum wage hikes have made the restaurant a financial burden too much to bear, Neeb said.

“I did everything I could to keep her going,” he said. “I spent every penny.”

A handwritten sign sits on the order window asking for $450,000 or best offer. A few serious offers have come in so far, he said.

Ideally, the couple would like the business to stay a drive-in and are willing to help transfer over the food accounts and staff, Neeb said.

If given the opportunity, the Neebs would keep the drive-in, he said.

“I still play the Mega Millions and the Powerball,” Neeb said. “Never say never.”

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