Steak 'n Shake

Steak 'n Shake Operations, Inc.
Steak 'n Shake
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryFood
FoundedFebruary 1934; 90 years ago (1934-02)
Normal, Illinois, U.S.
FounderAugustus Hamilton "Gus" Belt[1][2]
Headquarters
Indianapolis, Indiana
,
United States
Area served
United States
Southwestern Europe
Middle East
Key people
Phillip Cooley
ProductsSteakburgers, milk shakes
ServicesRestaurants
Number of employees
20,732[3]
ParentBiglari Holdings
Websitesteaknshake.com

Steak 'n Shake Operations, Inc., doing business as Steak 'n Shake, is an American casual restaurant chain concentrated primarily in the Midwestern United States with locations also in the South, Mid-Atlantic, Western United States, Europe, and the Middle East. The company is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Biglari Holdings.[4] As of 2018, 628 Steak 'n Shake restaurants were in operation; of those 414 were corporate-owned, and 214 franchised. The company has since attempted to convert to a fully franchised model.[5]

Restaurant locations have sit-down, drive-thru, and front-window service; they provide a hybrid of fast-food to-go and diner-style sit-down service. In 2021, the company had 536 locations, but the number had dropped to 493 by March 31, 2023, according to Biglari Holdings; not all of those were in operation at that time.[6] The business model had been shifting away from full-service restaurants as well, toward a drive-thru model and to "counter-service ... featuring kiosks".[7]

Many locations are open 24 hours a day, seven days per week. The menu features primarily burgers and hand-dipped milkshakes; other entrees, side items, and drinks are also available. The corporation's slogan, "Famous for Steakburgers", refers to its most prominent food item, the Steakburger. The "steak" in the restaurant name comes from the menu item.

  1. ^ "Stake n Shake President Dies". The Daily Pantagraph (Bloomington, Illinois). No. page 3. August 21, 1954.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference SNSHistory was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Annual report" (PDF). www.biglariholdings.com. 2020. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
  4. ^ "BIGLARI HOLDINGS INC". www.biglariholdings.com.
  5. ^ "Annual report" (PDF). www.biglariholdings.com. 2018. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
  6. ^ "Beloved Burger Chain Steak 'n Shake Continues Its Closing Spree". Eat This. May 9, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2024. In 2021 it teetered on the edge of bankruptcy before parent company Biglari Holdings managed to pay off a whopping $153 million in debt.
  7. ^ "Steak n Shake closed another 30 restaurants last year". Restaurant Business. February 27, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2024. It was the fourth straight year in which the chain closed more restaurants than it opened, a period in which it shrunk its unit count by 19%.