Steak ‘n Shake Restaurant (pc: eater.com)
Gus Belt owned a Shell gas station in Normal, Il in the 1930’s and was looking for ways to increase revenue. He began offering customers chicken, coleslaw, and beer. When the local community started to object to the beer sales, he decided to make a change taking out a $300 loan to convert the Shell station into a restaurant. Hamburgers were an up and coming menu item in America at the time, so he switched from chicken to burgers and shakes. Belt would die unexpectantly 20 years later in 1954 and his widow Edith would go on and run and grow Steak ‘n Shake the next 15 years before selling it for $17 million in 1969.
General Restaurant Information
Food Type: Hamburgers
Restaurant Type: Fast Food
U.S. Locations: 568
States: 30 states, Steak ‘n Shake Locations
Company Slogan: In Sight, It Must Be Right
Contact Information
Website: steaknshake.com
Questions: Contact Information
Phone number: 877-785-6745
Email: Contact Form Only
Blog: No
FAQ Page: Frequently Asked Questions
Ownership
Who Owns Steak ‘n Shake? Biglari Holdings
Headquartered: Indianapolis, IN
Contact Information:
Website: biglariholdings.com
Email/contact page: Biglari Holdings Contact Information
Phone: 210-344-3400
Address: 17802 IH 10 West, Suite 400, San Antonio, Texas 78257
Do They Franchise? Franchise Information
What Is It Like To Work At Steak ‘n Shake?
Steak ‘n Shake Employment Page
3.3/5 or 66%; 3,800 Reviews (indeed.com)
2.7/5, or 54%; 1,200 Reviews (glassdoor.com)
What to expect when working at Steak ‘n Shake (job-applications.com)
Original Steak ‘n Shake Restaurant 1219 S. Main, Normal, Illinois (pc-pantagraph.com)
The History of Steak ‘n Shake
Original Location: 1219 S. Main Street, Normal, Illinois
Founded: February 1934
Founded By: Gus Belt
Biography Articles:
The History of Hamburger Restaurant Chains (restaurantnews.com)
Founder Obituary:
Obituaries:
Augustus Hamilton “Gus” Belt (findagrave.com)
Name Origin: The word steak came from the steakburgers they would offer and likewise, shake came from the milkshakes they were going to serve. Gus was committed to bringing the best steakburgers and hand-dipped milkshakes around. To show how good his prime meat burgers were, Gus would bring in a barrel of steaks and grind meat into the burgers right in front of the customers. (source)
Steak ‘n Shake History Page: Company History Page
Current View of Original Location:1219 S. Main Street as it is today(link may not work on mobile devices without Google Maps)
Historical Articles:
The Steak n Shake Company History (fundinguniverse.com)
Exploring the Bloomington-Normal roots of Steak ‘n Shake (videtteonline.com)
Social Awareness
Charity Focus: No resources found
Green | Eco-Friendly: No resources found
Animal Cruelty: No resources found
Discounts At Steak ‘n Shake
Rewards Program: Steak ‘n Shake Reward Program
Do Kids Eat Free at Steak ‘n Shake?
What day do kids eat free? Weekends (Saturday & Sunday)
Summary: Excludes drinks and shakes. Dine-In only. Kids 12 and under. One kid’s plate for every $9 spent.
Does Steak ‘n Shake Offer Military Discounts?
Summary: No information found
What Does Steak ‘n Shake offer for My Birthday!?
Summary: If you are a member of their rewards club, they will send you a special gift (depending on your location) for your birthday and special occasion date.
Does Steak ‘n Shake Offer First Responder Discounts?
Summary: No information found
Does Steak ‘n Shake Offer Senior Citizen | AARP Discounts?
Summary: No information found
Are There Any Other Discounts or Benefits at Steak ‘n Shake?
Summary: The hamburger chain offers both an email club as well as a rewards program tied in with their app.
Currently, for the eClub, they offer the following –
Be the first to know about special deals and new menu items from Steak ’n Shake! Just fill out the form below to join our exclusive eClub. Members will receive a FREE Double ’n Cheese ’n Fries* when they join, and a FREE Specialty Milkshake on their birthday! It’s our way of saying thanks for being a loyal member of our eClub.
When you sign-up for the rewards program, they currently offer the following –
Free milkshake with first app purchase. Receive $5 in rewards for every $50 spent.
Steak ‘n Shake (pc-mashed)
Amenities
Order Online: Online Order
WiFi Available: Yes
Use Apple Pay: No
Reservations: No
Catering: No
Drive-Thru: Yes
Open 24 Hours: Mos
Customer Reviews of Steak ‘n Shake
Yelp: 2.4/5 or 48%, 1,175 reviews sampled
Tripadvisor: 3.4/5 or 68%, 652 reviews sampled
Overall (weighted) Average: 2.75/5 or 55%, 1,827 reviews sampled
Steak 'n Shake & Related Items on Amazon
Food & Nutrition
Menu: Steak ‘n Shake Menu
Kids Menu: Steak ‘n Shake Kids Menu
Secret Menu: No resources found
Most Popular Menu Item: Original Steakburger; Oreo Shake, Oreo Mint Shake
Coke or Pepsi: Coke
Serve Alcohol: No
Nutritional Information: Steak ‘n Shake Nutrition Guide
Vegetarian | Vegan Options:
145 Vegan Chain Restaurant Menus Every Vegan Needs to Know (urbantastebud.com)
Farm to Table | Organic Options | Clean | Non-GMO: No resources found
Miscellaneous Nutrition Resources:
Healthy Meals at Stean ‘n Shake (eatthis.com)
Steak ‘n Shake Nutritional Information (fatsecret.com) (fastfoodmenunutrition.com)
The Worst Milkshakes in American (#5) (eatthis.com)
Healthy Eating at Steak ‘N Shake (katemovingforward.com)
Allergy Information
Allergen Information: Steak ‘n Shake Allergen Guide
Gluten Free Options:
What to Eat at Every Major Fast Food Chain If You’re Gluten-Free (spoonuniversity.com)
Gluten-Free Menu at Steak ‘n Shake (glutensniper.com)
Dairy Free Options:
Steak ‘n Shake Dairy Free Options (godairyfree.org)
Restaurant Guide For Dairy-Free Dining (godairyfree.org)
Peanut Free Options:
Steak ‘n Shake Peanut & Allergy Information (steaknshake.com)
Food Allergy Guides For Many Chain Restaurants (verywellhealth.com)
Ways to Eliminate Risks of Peanut Allergy When Dining Out (healthguidance.org)
Steak ‘n Shake (pc-ocaladailyphoto.blogspot.com)
Does Steak ‘n Shake Have Any Secret Recipes?
Secret Recipes:
5 Way Chili (copykat.com), (geniuskitchen.com), (copymethat.com)
Double n Cheese Steakburger (youtube.com)
Steak ‘n Shake Burgers (YouTube Video 1), (YouTube Video 2)
Seasoning (geniuskitchen.com)
Frisco Melt (mashed.com), (thespruceeats.com)
Garlic Double Steakburger (copykat.com)
Vanilla Milkshake (recipe4living.com)
Did You Know?
Fun Facts:
They are owned by Biglari Holdings who by the way owns Maxim (magazine) and Western Sizzlin. Biglari Holdings is owned by Sandar Biglari, an Iranian businessman.
The founder, Gus Belt would dig through the trash when the restaurant was getting started to see what menu items were being thrown away so to make the menu better (mentalfloss.com)
The Steak ‘n Shake at 1158 East St. Louis Street in Springfield, MO was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2012 as a landmark on the famous Route 66
It began as a gas station that sold chicken and beer called Shell’s Chicken (mashed.com)
Their slogan, “In Sight, It Must Be Right” came from Belt’s grinding the steak in from of the customers.
The restaurant was the inspiration for Shake Shack
Interesting Articles:
What die-hard fans don’t even know (mashed.com)
14 Sizzling Facts (mentalfloss.com)
10 Things You Didn’t Know (thrillist.com)
Franchise partner deal (nrn.com)
Steak ‘n Shake Tries And Fails To Take Down Wendy’s On Twitter (wycd.radio.com)
Steak 'n Shake & Related Items on Amazon
Social Media
Followers (as of September 2018) –
Facebook: 3,943,917
Twitter: 464,000
Instagram: 188,000
Mobile Apps
Alternatives
Better Options: Coming Soon
Similar Restaurants:
In Summary
When you drive by a Steak ‘n Shake restaurant, you may get the idea that it offers a taste of nostalgia for your childhood or even your parents or grandparents childhood. From the outside, it looks like a diner from the 1950’s and who doesn’t love the 50’s? Look a little deeper, and you will see a very different restaurant. Did you realize that when you walk through the doors you’re supporting Maxim magazine? That it’s owned by a holdings company, who couldn’t care less about you? In all the research I have done on restaurants, never have I seen so many complaints as that of Steak ‘n Shake. It’s certainly not how I envisioned the 50’s and sure not a restaurant I want to give my money; there are just too many other options.
Videos