Steak n Shake
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Steak n Shake (also spelled Steak 'n Shake) is a combination diner/fast food restaurant chain located throughout the Midwestern and Southern United States. Typical restaurant locations have both a drive-thru and front of house service, resulting in an atypical mix of fast-food to-go service and diner-style sit-down service. Most Steak n Shake restaurants are open 24 hours. Their slogan "Famous for Steakburgers," refers to their signature menu item, the Steakburger sandwich.
Steak n Shake restaurants are operated by Steak n Shake Operations, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of The Steak n Shake Company (NYSE: SNS), located in Indianapolis, Indiana. The company currently operates 454 (as of December 2005) restaurants (including 51 franchises) in 20 states.
Contents |
[edit] 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. The original building was demolished in late 2005. Gus Belt was born in the small town of Morrisonville, Illinois. Steak n Shake's slogan: "In Sight It Must Be Right" originally referred to Belt's practice of grinding the beef used in the steak burgers in the public area of the restaurant and in line-of-sight of the customers. This practice was intended to reassure customers of the wholesomeness of the product (in a time when ground beef was still considered with skepticism and concern by the public, based on the possibility of hidden impurities and defects). This practice also helped assure customers of the veracity of Belt's "steak burger" ingredients claim -- i.e., because they could see for themselves that he was grinding steak into the hamburger meat, along with more common cuts. Today, the slogan is generally thought to refer to Steak n Shake's open grill line.
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.
[edit] Menu
[edit] 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, Steak n Shake 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.
[edit] 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, cheese, diced onions, 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.)
[edit] 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. These sides are also available in various "dinner" combinations.
[edit] The 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 Side-by-Side Milk Shakes and Sippable Sundae Milk Shake. On May 17, 2006, they officially released Bits 'n' Pieces, which feature added M & M's, Peanut-butter Cups, Chocolate-Chip Cookie Dough, or Cookies & Cream mixed into a shake for an additional fee. 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. Around Halloween of 2006, Caramel Apple, Dark Chocolate Double Fudge, and S'mores shakes were introduced[citation needed]. In November 2006, White Chocolate, Dark Chocolate, Egg Nog, White Chocolate Holiday Fudge & the Dark Chocolate Holiday Fudge shakes are featured for the Holiday Season. Starting December 26, 2006 the company will roll out it's new Fruit 'n Frozen Yogurt Milkshakes nationwide and this will be the first of many low fat offerings from the company. The new Fruit 'n Frozen Yogurt Milkshakes will feature: Strawberry, Strawberry Banana, Plain Banana & Raspberry. They will feature premium lowfat frozen yogurt and real bits of fruit.
[edit] Breakfast
Steak n Shake offers traditional breakfast items including bacon, pancakes, sausage, eggs, french toast, and hashbrowns. These items are only served during breakfast hours (which are different from state to state). Unlike some diners where breakfast is available at any time, breakfast is not served all day because the grill temperature is too high during the day to cook the breakfast foods. Instead, most Steak n Shake restaurants serve breakfast from 11 pm to 11 am.
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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, and Texas. 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.
[edit] Associates
Steak n Shake servers all wear an iconic uniform of white dress shirt, black pants, black apron, black shoes, black socks, and a red bow tie (trainers have black bow ties).
As an employee incentive, employees and trainers at restaurants with a high guest satisfaction rating may wear red t-shirts with the Steak n Shake logo, as well as the text 'Guest Excellence Maniac', on certain days of the week.
[edit] 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.
[edit] Lawsuit Against Rising Sun, MD Restaurant
In the small town of Rising Sun, Maryland a small unaffliated restaurant was named "Steak and Shake", but in 2004 Steak n Shake was granted an injunction forcing the Rising Sun restaurant to change its name, which was found to be similar enough to the corporate trademark. Subsequently, the Rising Sun restaurant changed its name to "Steak and," omitting the "Shake" to avoid further litigation.
