Steak N Shake!
Steak N Shake
|
|
Steak n Shake restaurants are operated by Steak n Shake Operations, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Steak n Shake Company, located in Indianapolis, Indiana. The company currently operates 454 (as of December 2005) restaurants (including 51 franchises) in 20 states.
Steak n Shake History
Gus Belt founded Steak n Shake in Normal, Illinois, in February 1934, when he converted the combination gas station/chicken restaurant he owned (Shell's Chicken) into a hamburger stand. Gus Belt was born in the small town of Morrisonville, Illinois. Steak n Shake's slogan: "In Sight It Must Be Right" refers to Steak n Shake's open grill line, maintained to this day.Following the success of the original restaurant, Belt purchased a chain of "Goal Post" restaurants throughout Central Illinois, converting them into Steak n Shake restaurants. He also added curb service at this point.
Steak n Shake continued to expand throughout Illinois following the death of its creator in 1954, with ownership passing through many hands; including Gus's wife Edith Belt (who ran the chain until 1969), Longchamps, Inc. (an east coast steakhouse company who owned the chain from 1969 to 1971) and the Franklin Corporation, led by Robert Cronin, author of Selling Steakburgers: The Growth of a Corporate Culture. In 1981, Steak n Shake was sold by Franklin to E.W. Kelley and Associates, whose chairman, E.W. "Ed" Kelley was considered largely responsible for the growth of the restaurant until his death on July 4, 2003. The brand had been declining during the late 1970's, and in 1984 was in the red. Kelley hired the former head of Circle K to turn the business around. Steak n Shake rapidly improved and expanded throughout the 1990's and into 2000. In early November of 2004, The Steak n Shake Company entered into an agreement to buy out its largest franchisee, Kelley Restaurants, Inc. (which is owned by the late Mr. Kelley's family). KRI's 16 sites will be purchased for about $1 million each; they are mainly in Georgia and North Carolina.
Steak n Shake Menu
Steak n Shake Sandwiches
Steak n Shake's signature item is the Steakburger sandwich. 100% U.S. beef, including the steak cuts, is ground and formed into a hockey puck shape before cooking. Once ordered, the puck is quickly seared on one side, flipped, and pressed flat to cook quickly. Midway through, it is flipped once.In early 2006 they introduced three "Premium Topping Steakburgers". The "Grilled Mushroom 'n' Onion Double" comes with Grilled Mushrooms, Roasted Onions, American Cheese, Pickles, Lettuce, and Tomato. The "Three Cheese Steakburger" is a double with Swiss, Pepperjack, and Cheddar Cheeses along with Lettuce, Tomato, Pickles, and Onion. The "Hickory-Smoked Thick-Bacon Burger"comes with American Cheese and Hickory-Smoked Thick-Bacon, along with Lettuce, Tomato, Pickles and Onion.
A few months later, they introduced two new additions to the "Premium Topping Steakburger" line. The "Portobello 'n' Swiss" comes with Swiss Cheese, Grilled Portobello mushrooms, Pickles, Lettuce, and Tomato. The "BBQ Bacon Ranch" comes with the Roasted Onions, Thick-Bacon, BBQ Sauce, Ranch Dressing, Pickles, Lettuce, and Tomato, but no Cheese.
Steak n Shake Other entrees
Steak n Shake serves a variety of other entrees, including chicken fingers, various salads, and Steak n Shake's chili concoctions. These include (in addition to plain chili), the "Chili Mac" and the "Chili 3-Way" (and 5-way), which are various combinations of spaghetti noodles, chili meat, and Steak n Shake's special sauce. (These are variations of Cincinnati chili, but Steak n Shake does not use the distinctive Greek-style recipe found in that area.)Steak n Shake Side dishes
Steak n Shake offers the following side dishes
Baked Beans (Baked Beans are served in a "bean crock")Cup of Chili
Coleslaw
Cottage Cheese (pineapple is served on top)
Cup of Soup
French Fries (Steak 'N Shake is known for serving fries that are smaller and thinner than the fries offered at most other restaurants)
Small Garden Salad
Onion Rings (for an additional charge)
Cheese Fries (for an additional charge)
Customers can order sides individually, or as part of a "platter", where the guest can choose any sandwich on the menu and two sides for a discounted price.
Steak n Shake fountain
In addition to Coca-Cola products, hot or iced tea, and coffee, Steak 'n' Shake is known for its milk shakes, hand-dipped and made with real milk. Along with these traditional milk shakes, Steak 'n' Shake also features the Side-by-Side Milk Shakes and Sippable Sundae Milk Shake. On May 17th, 2006, they officially released Bits 'n' pieces, where for an added price you can add M & M's, Peanut-butter Cups, Chocolate-Chip Cookie Dough, or Cookies & Cream. These shakes are typically made with Vanilla Syrup, but other syrups can be substituted. Steak 'n' Shake also has many different desserts, including Berry Berry cobbler, Brownie Fudge Sundae, ice cream, and root-beer float.Steak n Shake Breakfast
Steak n Shake offers traditional breakfast items including bacon, Pancakes, sausage, eggs, and hashbrowns. These items are only served during breakfast hours (which are different state to state). Unlike some diners where breakfast is available any time, breakfast is not served all day long because the grill temperature is too high during the day to cook the breakfast foods.Steak n Shake Restaurant atmosphere
New Steak n Shake restaurants are one-story white buildings with large windows on two sides. Newer restaurants tend to be beige or off-white with stone accents at the corners and towards the ground, to comply with many local regulations on building consistency. They typically have black and white lighted awnings with the Steak n Shake name in red lighted lettering. Inside, the floor is black and white tile, the booths are black and the chairs are red, and the grill and work surfaces are brushed steel. Patrons are greeted at the door by either a server, or a manager. At busier locations, a host or hostess may be in place to greet the guest. Steak n Shake's prices are higher than most fast-food restaurants, and comparable to diners or other sit-down locations.Steak n Shake Locations
Steak n Shake restaurants are currently located in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin. According to the company's 2004 year-end report, it plans to open 26 new restaurants in fiscal year 2006. According to its 2006 1st-quarter reports, the company has opened 8 new restaurants, and closed 2, through the quarter.Steak n Shake Associates Steak n' Shake servers all wear an iconic uniform of white dress shirt, black pants, black apron, black shoes, and a red bow tie (trainers have black bow ties).
Steak n Shake Building Setup
Most Steak n' Shake restaurants are built with the "shake window" facing the restaurant and the salad bar at an angle, although more locations are being built with a new design, having the shake window slightly down a corridor, with the salad bar facing directly towards the restaurant.
