Steak 'n Shake
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| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Food |
| Predecessor | Shell's Chicken |
| Founded | February 1934 Normal, Illinois, U.S. |
| Founder | Gus Belt |
| Headquarters | Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. |
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Area served
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Key people
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| Products | Steakburgers, milk shakes |
| Services | Restaurants |
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Number of employees
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20,000 |
| Parent | Biglari Holdings |
| Website | www |
Steak 'n Shake is an American casual restaurant chain located primarily in the Midwestern and Southern United States with locations also in the Mid-Atlantic and Western United States, and Europe. Steak 'n Shake Operations, Inc. is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. There are 544 locations, of which 417 are company-operated and 127 are franchised. Typical restaurant locations have sit-down, drive-thru and front-window service, resulting in a hybrid of fast-food to-go service and diner-style sit-down service. Many Steak 'n Shake restaurants are open 24 hours a day, seven days per week. The menu features primarily hamburgers and hand-dipped milkshakes, though other entrees, side items, and drinks are also available. There is no steak on the menu.
The corporation's slogan "Famous for Steakburgers" refers to its most prominent food item, the "Steakburger", so called because it was originally made from a mixture that included T-bone, sirloin, and round steaks.
Gus Belt (born in Morrisonville, Illinois) founded Steak 'n Shake in Normal, Illinois in February 1934, after serving four years in the United States Marine Corps. He converted the combination gas station and chicken restaurant that he owned (Shell's Chicken) into a hamburger stand. The original building at the intersection of Main Street and West Virginia Avenue was damaged by a fire in the early 1960s, but it was repaired and its dining room expanded. In the late 1990s, Steak 'n Shake sold this building to the Monical's Pizza company. Steak 'n Shake's slogan "In Sight It Must Be Right" originally referred to Belt's practice of wheeling a barrel of T-bone, sirloin, and round steaks into the public area of his restaurant, then grinding them into burgers in front of his customers. This practice was intended to reassure customers of the wholesomeness of the product; at that time, ground beef was still viewed with some skepticism by the general public, based on the likelihood of its having deliberate impurities introduced into it. This practice of grinding the beef in public also helped assure his customers of the veracity of Belt's "Steakburger" claim because they could see for themselves that he was grinding steaks into the hamburger meat. Later, patrons were assured that Steakburgers were still made from these ingredients "at our own commissary" for shipment to the restaurants, where the open grill line remains "in sight" to customers.
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Wikipedia