# So what's the deal with Steak and Shake? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 2, 2006, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-deal-with-steak-and-shake/350921 "2006-04-02T05:42:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![myskepticsight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cc9497/32.png) [@myskepticsight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/myskepticsight)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2006, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-deal-with-steak-and-shake/350921/21 "2006-04-03T02:13:43Z")
My friends and I go to Steak n Shake sometimes…the service is sometimes crappy but normally we don’t go there when we are on a time schedule. We like to sit and smoke and chat afterwards usually so it’s not a problem. But it does always take forever to get the check, it seems. We also used to have some friends that worked there in high school, so they were always good servers. ---
**Author:** ![Garfield226](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Garfield226](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garfield226)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2006, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-deal-with-steak-and-shake/350921/22 "2006-04-03T04:16:35Z")
[QUOTE=LSLGuy] The worst experience I can recall was when I went to pay just at midnight and the checker said he hoped he could get it into the computer/cash register before end-of-day started. Apparently the machines automatically lock up at midnight for about 5 minutes. He didn’t quite get my process finished & we got caught. if I’d had close to correct change I’d have left it, but I didn’t want to pay $20 for a $7 ticket. The manager was all sorts of apologetic & I got a free milkshake to make amends. [/QUOTE] Yeah, that was always a pain, especially when there were three or four cars in the drive-through. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2006, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-deal-with-steak-and-shake/350921/23 "2006-04-03T11:41:56Z")
As far as I can tell, people go to Steak-n-Shake for the same reason _some_ people go to Starbucks to pay $5 for a $0.50 cup of coffee. Who was it that said: " A fool and his money are soon departed." I liked their burgers they were good. But certainly not $10 worth of good. And their french fries FCOL! What the hell is that all about? They look and taste like those shoe string potatos from a can. Oh, and the one time I went; the service I got sucked as well. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2006, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-deal-with-steak-and-shake/350921/24 "2006-04-03T13:20:46Z")
Huh. We only do drive-thru, but the service is always excellent. I can understand the order taker, they’re cheerful and fast, and the food doesn’t suck. My biggest beef with them is that they’re expensive for fast food. ---
**Author:** ![AndrewL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@AndrewL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AndrewL)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2006, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-deal-with-steak-and-shake/350921/25 "2006-04-03T14:23:31Z")
I’ve been to the Steak&Shake near the Indianapolis Convention Center once. I will never go there again, despite attending a convention at the center once a year. Awful food, awful service. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2006, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-deal-with-steak-and-shake/350921/26 "2006-04-03T14:32:47Z")
Fries are good when they are piping hot: they remind me of funky independent drive-in places common in upstate NY awhile ago. But when they aren’t hot they’re just meh. And I had a horrible service experience with them yesterday. There were 4 people in the drive-thru and each of them took several minutes to get their order. Which makes sense because they seemed to be shortstaffed so I am not blaming the staff, but I AM responding to the survey I got on my receipt 🙂 Generally, they have faster service than other places that cook to order. But sometimes they are just plain _slowwwww_. ---
**Author:** ![Garfield226](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Garfield226](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garfield226)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2006, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-deal-with-steak-and-shake/350921/27 "2006-04-03T14:44:09Z")
[QUOTE=Ludovic] Generally, they have faster service than other places that cook to order. But sometimes they are just plain _slowwwww_. [/QUOTE] Tips: Chicken tenders take something like 4 minutes from the time you put in your order to fry up completely, and so are one of the slowest things you can order. Milkshakes can as well, especially if there isn’t a dedicated fountain person (and there usually isn’t). Chili and baked beans are some of the fastest, as they just need to be put into their containers. Chili MAC, on the other hand (also Chili 3- and 5-way) is put in the microwave for a minute or two to heat the spaghetti. Chicken breasts (for the Chicken Melt sandwich and the taco salad with chicken) also take a while on the grill. Steakburgers (singles, doubles, triples, melts, whatever) should all take a similar amount of time, as all the patties are being done at once. Sometimes the lunch and dinner rushes can actually be quickest, as they generally slap down 20-30 patties at at time, and keep doing that until the rush is through. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2006, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-deal-with-steak-and-shake/350921/28 "2006-04-03T14:53:19Z")
Little tip: “Steak burgers”? Hamburgers. True dat. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2006, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-deal-with-steak-and-shake/350921/29 "2006-04-03T15:05:56Z")
Please enlighten an ignorant Yank who’s never been anywhere near Nashville. What’s a “Steak and Shake”? I can’t imagine a steakhouse serving milkshakes, and “Steak” sounds too pretentious for a hamburger joint. What sort of place is this? ---
**Author:** ![CapnPitt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/edb3f5/32.png) [@CapnPitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CapnPitt)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2006, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-deal-with-steak-and-shake/350921/30 "2006-04-03T15:26:37Z")
Go for pretentious. It’s like a 50s burger joint. ---
**Author:** ![Electronic\_Chaos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Electronic\_Chaos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electronic_Chaos)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2006, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-deal-with-steak-and-shake/350921/31 "2006-04-03T15:29:24Z")
[QUOTE=CalMeacham] Please enlighten an ignorant Yank who’s never been anywhere near Nashville. What’s a “Steak and Shake”? I can’t imagine a steakhouse serving milkshakes, and “Steak” sounds too pretentious for a hamburger joint. What sort of place is this? [/QUOTE] Basically a diner-type restaraunt. They serve “Steakburgers,” which, like bup said, is just a hamburger, only with maybe slightly higher quality meat. Which doesn’t matter because the burgers are so thin (like Wendy’s thin) that in cooking them they lose any higher quality taste they might have had. I usually just go for the cheese fries and ice cream. Oh, and whenever I feel like pretending I’m invisible. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2006, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-deal-with-steak-and-shake/350921/32 "2006-04-03T16:32:08Z")
Bean crock. ---
**Author:** ![YellowTail](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/b5ac83/32.png) [@YellowTail](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YellowTail)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2006, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-deal-with-steak-and-shake/350921/33 "2006-04-03T21:04:46Z")
Gawd, I wish we had S&S in Denver! [drool, drool] I go when visiting relatives in St. Louis, usually around Christmas. Since I’m on vacation, I have the luxury of going any time of the day I want and I know to avoid lunch hour like the plague! Oh, those French fries!!! ---
**Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2006, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-deal-with-steak-and-shake/350921/34 "2006-04-03T21:10:17Z")
[QUOTE=CalMeacham] Please enlighten an ignorant Yank who’s never been anywhere near Nashville. What’s a “Steak and Shake”? I can’t imagine a steakhouse serving milkshakes, and “Steak” sounds too pretentious for a hamburger joint. What sort of place is this? [/QUOTE] [Steak N Shake](http://www.steaknshake.com/). They don’t actually serve any steak. Just sandwiches and ENORMOUS shakes, with a kind of '50s malt shop decor. Not bad but overpriced, yeah. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2006, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-deal-with-steak-and-shake/350921/35 "2006-04-03T21:31:19Z")
Sounds like **Johnny Rockets** up here where I am. JR’s stuff is good but expensive. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2006, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-deal-with-steak-and-shake/350921/36 "2006-04-03T21:58:10Z")
These people saying S’n’S is expensive must be used to eating out of dumpsters or something. The place isn’t anywhere in the vicinity of expensive. The comparison to Johnny Rockets is apt from a style and menu standpoint, but Rocket’s has a higher quality of food with bigger portions and costs about twice as much as Steak n Shake. Steak n Shake might be pricey if you compare it to McDonalds Dollar menu, but by any other measure I can’t fathom how sitting down for a burger and 2 sides, while being served albeit poorly, with a drink for a whopping $8 is expensive. ---
**Author:** ![Electronic\_Chaos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Electronic\_Chaos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electronic_Chaos)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2006, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-deal-with-steak-and-shake/350921/37 "2006-04-04T04:34:04Z")
[QUOTE=Omniscient] These people saying S’n’S is expensive must be used to eating out of dumpsters or something. The place isn’t anywhere in the vicinity of expensive. [/QUOTE] Not really expensive, just mildly overpriced for the quality of food you’re getting. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2006, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-deal-with-steak-and-shake/350921/38 "2006-04-04T05:24:37Z")
Well, in regards to the first example you mentioned with the lady waiting 10-20 minutes, and then getting served for free - sounds like a good deal to me. I’d take that over getting served right now and paying for it any day. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2006, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-deal-with-steak-and-shake/350921/39 "2006-04-04T14:45:59Z")
I’ve been to SnS twice in two states. First time took 35 minutes inside to get our order. Second time, we went drive-through figuring it woud be quick. Heck no! 40 minutes if it was 10. Never went back. ---
**Author:** ![davenportavenger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f8ce5/32.png) [@davenportavenger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davenportavenger)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2006, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-deal-with-steak-and-shake/350921/40 "2006-04-04T15:37:27Z")
I go to Shake and Steak a lot (around once a month) and I’ve always been surprised at how fast the service is. Usually I’ve barely finished the chili when my burger and fries come out. I’ve been to three different ones and the service was great at all of them. Maybe I just got lucky? I’ve never thought of it as a fast food place, more of a sit-down diner that just happens to also have a drive-thru. I would say that the food is comparable to a place like Denny’s or Eat’n’Park, only cheaper. And I really love the skinny fries. And that sauce on the Frisco burger and chicken melt. So good. I’ve still never had a shake there though. I’m not a huge ice cream person and they seem overpriced. > [@CalMeacham](#): > > Sounds like Johnny Rockets up here where I am. JR’s stuff is good but expensive. Except for the singing and dancing waitresses. I went there once with my family on vacation and I would never go back. It was embarrassing for everyone. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-deal-with-steak-and-shake/350921.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-whats-the-deal-with-steak-and-shake/350921.md?page=3)