"Steak 'n Shake": Anybody Been To This Fast Food Chain?

[DMark]

Fast food fans in Las Vegas seem to be getting excited that a Steak 'n Shake is being built inside the South Point Casino (a few miles from me). Apparently, this is a big deal, as it is the first they are building so far west - most of the others are in Florida and some parts of the Southeastern US.

I mean, I am quite happy we have In 'n Out burgers here - but always happy to have another good burger joint join in the mix.

Anything special that has made the Steak 'n Shake restaurant chain a cult favorite?

[Huerta88]

Shakes are pretty okay.

The greasy fried sides (onion rings) are well-executed.

Like most chains, a lot's dependent on QC. I've been to a few in ghetto-y neighborhoods with the attendant staffing, and there have been QC, cleanliness problems.

[aceplace57]

We had one local for almost ten years. It closed around 2003. I ate there maybe ten times a year.

Burgers were good. I never found the fries very good. Shakes were expensive but good. I think they were made the old fashioned way with real milk, fresh strawberries etc.

Supposedly, they used a better grade meat for the burgers.

[silenus]

We liked the one we ate at in St. Louis. Not transcendent, but more than adequate.

[Lanzy]

I like their shakes....

that's about it, they should be named shake and shake.

[glowacks]

It's a bit disingenuous to call it a fast food chain, if only because you pay for your food after you eat. Yes, they offer hamburgers and fries, along with some other things that you'd find in a fast food restaurant, but they don't operate as one. They serve their food on porcelain-style plates, not on trays. You have a waitperson take your order, after which the food is cooked. There's nothing "fast" about it.

As for the quality, it really depends. I normally enjoy it, but I had to complain about the quality of food in one that I went to in another state - it was apparently supposed to be the same stuff, but it was just not done correctly. The fries are different than most places, which a lot of people don't like, but they have actual onion rings, very creamy coleslaw, and excellent hand-made shakes. The burgers are definitely better made from better meat than your average fast food ones, but the cooking method used just isn't a good way to get a great tasting burger. They're good, but I much prefer ones I cook myself. I've had the chicken strips a few times, and those are reasonable as well but nothing special.

Overall, they serve good food, but you definitely pay for it. They do offer specials on just burger & fries, but those are not the reasons I go there. It's normally $10 after tip for a shake, double steakburger, and sides of onion rings and coleslaw. I consider it worth it, but not enough that I'd go more than once a month. I normally only go there when traveling or up at some god-awful hour on the other side of town and need food - most locations are open very late, if not 24 hours.

[Huerta88]

Originally Posted by glowacks

It's a bit disingenuous to call it a fast food chain, if only because you pay for your food after you eat.

Surely you don't mean that, you mean "imprecise?"

Wiki and IME suggest to me that the more precise term would be "casual dining" (not take-out oriented, table service, with plates/cutlery.

Another fact I liked about SNS was that they had the hot-peppers-in-vinegar hot sauce bottles. Not a reason to eat there in itself, I just love that stuff.

Weird fact unrelated to the food: The guy now running the company has made the decision to convert the corporate structure into a conglomerate a la Berkshire Hathaway, using a bunch of spare cash to acquire companies in a bunch of (potentially unrelated) industries. The ticker symbol changed from SNS to BH (Biglari Holdings, after the guy's name) and they did a reverse split that pumped the share price way up.

[appleciders]

I know it as a lower Midwestern chain.

The shakes are quite good. The hamburgers are about par with Burger King or McDonalds. Fries are sub-par, to my taste.

[C K Dexter Haven]

I ate in one, once, about 10 or 12 years ago, and found it disgusting. Never tried another.

[gwendee]

I was taken there on a charming date nearly 15 years ago. I like the burgers, but not particularly better than any other place's burgers.

[Cubsfan]

Gross. The shakes don't use authentic ingredients. Just "flavoring". I got a strawberry banana shake there that had no fruit in it whatsoever.

[adhemar]

To me other than the Milkshakes it is an average fast food place. It has a drive through window, burgers and fries are pretty standard, salads are iceberg with standard dressings. None of the local ones are particularly close to me so I don't frequnet them. Not someplace to go out if the way for.

[WhyNot]

The fries are "skinny fries" which turns a lot of people off. Me, I like 'em, especially with the cheeze sauce.

They're pretty good. The shakes are very good indeed, and real shakes, as opposed to nondairy frozen stuff whipped full of seaweed thickeners. Their burgers are tasty, but they're very thin and fried to within an inch of their lives - which gives them a nummy almost burnt crispy edge, but overcooked in the middle for my (rare) taste.

[faithfool]

I've also only been there once, but I thought the fries were limp and disgusting and I've had better burgers at Burger King. Not impressed at all and the husband only found the shakes (prefers malts anyway) only adequate.

[pulykamell]

Originally Posted by WhyNot

The fries are "skinny fries" which turns a lot of people off. Me, I like 'em, especially with the cheeze sauce.

They're pretty good. The shakes are very good indeed, and real shakes, as opposed to nondairy frozen stuff whipped full of seaweed thickeners. Their burgers are tasty, but they're very thin and fried to within an inch of their lives - which gives them a nummy almost burnt crispy edge, but overcooked in the middle for my (rare) taste.

I'd say that's appropriate for this burger style (which I actually do love, even though I'm normally a fan of rare or raw meat.) Steak & Shake is perfectly acceptable. It's no In N Out, but they're not quite trying to be the same thing.

[missred]

I love their fries!

For me, the skinnier the french fry, the better. It's been a long time since I've had one of their shakes, but I remember them being pretty good too. I wouldn't want to eat the burgers all of the time, but once in a while, those thin patties hit the spot.

[fachverwirrt]

On the question of whether they're "fast food": they have a fast food element, in that they have a drive through and you can walk in and order to go (fairly quickly). And then they have sit-down table service. So they're both, more or less.

And it's definitely a midwest chain. Originated in Normal, Illinois and they're all over the place in Missouri.

I like them occasionally, but don't eat there often (especially since my wife went vegetarian). Unfortunately the one that's less than a quarter mile from my house is terrible.

[Spoke]

It's no great shakes.

[GythaOgg]

This is what I grew up with - they've been in business a VERY long time in these parts. They really aren't a fast food chain - the drive-through is a fairly recent innovation, and most people around here refer to using the drive through as 'Steak and Wait' because it's sloooow - even the drive through food is cooked to order. It's really a diner. Yeah, you can get carry out, but you're going to wait just as long as you would if you chose table service. They had curb service, complete with carhops on roller skates, as late as the 1980s.

I'm not a shake drinker, but I love everything else - the 'long sliced' pickles, the mustard relish, the pepper sauce on the tables, the thin 'fork fries'. They are very much a regional thing, originally limited to Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, and Florida....and there's an intense loyalty to them in that range. Locally, they do far better business than newcomer Five Guys, which I find to be absolutely awful.

[Harmonious Discord]

Yes I've been there. It makes me want to puke. A bacon cheese burger is covered in liquid cheese flavored sauce. Who the fuck pours liquid cheese flavored goop on a burger? The fries are toothpicks that are always cold. The place is pig sty with horrible servers that didn't give a fuck. Save your money and a possible hospital visit. It's the worst shit hole I've ever had the displeasure of stopping at. The one in Madison was open about a year and that was a year too long. Kitchen Nightmares should have done an episode on the place.

[Ponch8]

I love their chili mac and chili three way. Chili mac is spaghetti covered in a sweet, mild chili sauce and seasoned ground beef. The chili three way has beans also. It's excellent with parmesan cheese and the jar of vinegar loaded with hot peppers on every table.

[enalzi]

Generally, if you grew up with it, you like it, if you didn't, you don't. I grew up in Central Illinois, where you can't go anywhere without running into a Steak n' Shake. I'm pretty disappointed that there aren't any in Chicago.

Regarding the fries, they're not meant to be eaten one at a time. They're so thin that the proper way is to eat 4 or 5 at a time.

[Ephemera]

The last time I visited, I was really, really drunk, and I still couldn't stomach the food.

I prefer Waffle House.

[Huerta88]

Here's the menu. I've had about a third of the items.

http://www.steaknshake.com/menu/the-...l-steakburger/

Done right, they were mostly good.

The theme of consistency and quality control does seem to come through here. Most of their stores are company-owned too so they can't blame it on rogue franchisees (which is never a good excuse, anyhow).

ETA though they do seem to have aggressive franchising ambitions, and may be coming to a neighborhood near you if they aren't already:

http://franchising.steaknshake.com/f...isebystate.asp

[Ogre]

I like it OK. It's funny, though, that Steak 'n' Shake engenders the same amount of love-it-or-hate-it debate as any other "once regional, now national" chain. Sometimes I wonder if it's because it originates in another region. Same with In 'n' Out, Fatburger, Krispy Kreme, Waffle House, etc.

[Swords to Plowshares]

Sounds like people have really different experiences depending on the restaurant.

The burgers are okay, better than McD's/BK/Wendy's but worse than Five Guys/In n Out. Shakes are about on par with Friendly's - they're good. The two Steak n Shakes I've been have been clean, but have somewhat slow service even when they're empty. The one closest to me closed down when Sonic opened up next to them and put them out of business.

[Sigmagirl]

I like it, but my husband doesn't, so we hardly ever go.

[An Gadaí]

I had the worst toasted cheese sandwich there ever.

[Huerta88]

Originally Posted by Ogre

Krispy Kreme

Sometimes it's just a case of something being hyped beyond what it ever was meant to be. No one (that I know) ever claimed years ago that Krispy Kreme were "good" doughnuts, more of a greasy guilty pleasure or school fundraiser staple, certainly bake shops and good supermarkets were where you'd go for "good" doughnuts. Taken out of this context, I can see people saying "what's the big deal?" because that's what people would have said in the original market (not that they wouldn't recall them fondly, just that no one would wait in line or pay a premium). Five Guys struck me as a decent local chain when it started, I can see backlash against them as the food is certainly not transcendant in any way, which is how their groupies, and their super-aggressive expansion strategy, present it.

[Ogre]

Meh. I think Krispy Kremes are much better, especially fresh, than most any other chain's doughnuts, including Dunkin'. They're fantastic hot, with a cup of coffee, late at night.

[Huerta88]

Originally Posted by Ogre

Meh. I think Krispy Kremes are much better, especially fresh, than most any other chain's doughnuts, including Dunkin'. They're fantastic hot, with a cup of coffee, late at night.

(a) almost all doughnuts are good hot, so I'll agree;
(b) you'll notice my comparator were not chain stores, and I think I'll agree on Dunkin. Neither strike me as as good as hot doughnuts from a good supermarket bakery or pastry shop (I guess I was/have been lucky to be exposed to a lot of those options).

[pulykamell]

Originally Posted by Huerta88

(a) almost all doughnuts are good hot, so I'll agree;
(b) you'll notice my comparator were not chain stores, and I think I'll agree on Dunkin. Neither strike me as as good as hot doughnuts from a good supermarket bakery or pastry shop (I guess I was/have been lucky to be exposed to a lot of those options).

Yeah, you are lucky. I've never had good supermarket donuts. The best donuts I've ever had were homemade yeast-leavened donuts made by my aunt. Otherwise, around here, everything (now that Krispy Kreme is pretty much completely gone) is the cake donut variety and I prefer the yeast-leavened varieties when they're hot from the oil. Otherwise, I can live without donuts, so maybemy opinions doesn't really mean anything.

[Archergal]

Best. Shakes. EVAR.

I like the fries too, but I like skinny fries.

[kenobi 65]

Originally Posted by Huerta88

Wiki and IME suggest to me that the more precise term would be "casual dining" (not take-out oriented, table service, with plates/cutlery.

Probably closer to a diner (as GythaOgg notes) than a "casual dining" restaurant. I used to have a casual dining chain for a client; while sit-down service with plates and cutlery are part of what distinguish a CDR from a fast-food restaurant, some of the other typical hallmarks of a CDR (fairly wide menu, serving alcohol) aren't there for S&S. My clients didn't consider S&S to be in the CDR category, and the research companies which work with that category tend not to, either. S&S would most likely be lumped into the "family restaurant" category, which'd also include Denny's, IHOP, Bob Evans, etc.

[Zjestika]

I used to get a giant cherry or vanilla coke there through the drive through several times a week as a teenager. Nothing like a coke with flavored syrup added- super sweet and yummy. I rarely ate there though because I was constantly watching my weight. Yeah, I was pretty ignorant about nutrition- I proably could have had 2 burgers for that 32 ounce soda with added syrup!

[WhyNot]

Ooooh...do they still make Cherry Cokes with syrup, do you think? Now that it's available by fountain, I assumed they didn't, but now I want to go check it out!

[Zjestika]

Looks like they do!

http://www.steaknshake.com/menu/drinks/

[lindsaybluth]

It's not even in the same galaxy as In-N-Out.

The burgers are steak-burgers, which is kinda weird. Gives the texture something different. The sides are nice, but all told it's like a $8-10 meal, which, for that I can get a big heaping bowl of Thai noodles or Greek or Middle Eastern etc.

[Shadez]

I like the place. Their shakes are pretty good, and I usually order chicken fingers with fries. Skinny fries are good.

I don't live in the Midwest anymore, but I will be back in the Chicago suburbs this week for Thanksgiving, and I admit I thought once or twice about going back... Another Midwest chain that has good fries IMHO is Portillo's. I miss that one too!

[DigitalC]

Their shakes are great, their sandwhiches are decent and varied but their fries are horrible. It might not be a fast food restaurant per se but their menu and prices match regular fast food places.

[carnut]

They do a pretty good breakfast but I'm not really into their other food. The fries are greasy amd the burgers would never survive a taste test without condiments.

Still, they are quick and cheap. I'd rate them above a Waffle House.

[Thudlow Boink]

Originally Posted by fachverwirrt

On the question of whether they're "fast food": they have a fast food element, in that they have a drive through and you can walk in and order to go (fairly quickly). And then they have sit-down table service. So they're both, more or less.

And it's definitely a midwest chain. Originated in Normal, Illinois and they're all over the place in Missouri.

Originally Posted by Ponch8

I love their chili mac and chili three way. Chili mac is spaghetti covered in a sweet, mild chili sauce and seasoned ground beef. The chili three way has beans also. It's excellent with parmesan cheese

Originally Posted by enalzi

Generally, if you grew up with it, you like it, if you didn't, you don't. I grew up in Central Illinois, where you can't go anywhere without running into a Steak n' Shake.

Agree with all these comments.

They've promoted themselves as a sit-down restaurant rather than a fast food place.

Originally Posted by lindsaybluth

The sides are nice, but all told it's like a $8-10 meal, which, for that I can get a big heaping bowl of Thai noodles or Greek or Middle Eastern etc.

It doesn't have to cost that much. Right now I'm holding a page of Steak'n'Shake coupons out of the newspaper, including one for a Double Steakburger, two sides, and regular shake for $5.99.



Bean crock.

[fusoya]

One of my favorite things about Ohio. You can get a burger and fries for like $3 if you have the right coupons. Plus, getting a burger and a peanut butter shake at 7AM on my way to Cedar Point made the day even more epic.

[Waterman]

While others have noted, SnS was started in Normal, Illinois; however, I grew up in St. Louis and it was the "premier" burger place in the early 60's. When I was ~10 yo I remember going to the SnS on Olive Street Road. For whatever reason, my parents were also huge fans of Goody Goody (which was a hamburger joint (IIRC that was on or near Goodfellow across the street and down a block from Ed's White Front - the best BBQ joint in the area).

The shakes and fries were the real treats and, even as a youngster, I didn't much care for the burgers; but the chili (3-way, 5-way or whatever) was absolutely fantastic to young taste buds.

BTW, the SnS on Olive was huge as it must have also been a distribution center or something. The restaurant had a huge counter with only a few tables but the place was pretty packed on Friday nights.

[devilsknew]

If I want a burger, really crave a burger, I want a Big Boy or a Steakburger.

[Astral Rejection]

I'm gonna chime in and say as a St. Louis resident, I LOVE Steak N' Shake, and I really miss their lime freezes. A lime freeze and a frisco melt were the perfect lunch.

[devilsknew]

Originally Posted by devilsknew

If I want a burger, really crave a burger, I want a Big Boy or a Steakburger.

Maybe the difference between Wendy's and Sonic. I prefer Wendy's over Sonic, although they are both hittting on certain regional veins.

[devilsknew]

Mc Donald's and Rally's stores... I would rather eat a Rally Burger than a Quarter Pounder or a a McDouble.

[aruvqan]

I vaguely remember eating at one in NY in 83ish. I really don't remember much about the food other than it was edible.

[bdgr]

The ones here...some times good...some times adequate. The shakes are good. The burgers are ok, but a little small. I don't like the fries at all.