# What's the difference between the Chili Mac and Chili 3-Way at Steak N Shake?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-the-chili-mac-and-chili-3-way-at-steak-n-shake/920985>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [September 19, 2020, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-the-chili-mac-and-chili-3-way-at-steak-n-shake/920985 "2020-09-19T06:04:01Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\
**Post date:** [September 19, 2020, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-the-chili-mac-and-chili-3-way-at-steak-n-shake/920985/1 "2020-09-19T06:04:02Z")

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I’ve always wondered this, and the internet at large also doesn’t seem to know the answer judging on a few google searches. I always assumed the Chili Mac was Chili on Macaroni while the Chili 3-Way is the “Skyline Chili” style of spaghetti with chili on top, but I just had a Chili Mac after only having their Chili 3-Way and it’s still served with regular spaghetti and noticed no difference between the two.

According to their general menu

> CHILI MAC SUPREME  
> Our original Chili Mac plus diced, fresh onions and  
> shredded cheddar ’n jack cheese.  
> CHILI MAC  
> Spaghetti topped with chili beef and our special  
> chili sauce.  
> CHILI 5-WAY  
> Spaghetti topped with chili, extra chili beef, our special chili  
> sauce, diced onions, and shredded cheddar ’n jack cheese.  
> CHILI 3-WAY  
> Spaghetti topped with chili, extra chili beef, and our special  
> chili sauce.

According to this the only difference between a Chili Mac and a Chili 3-Way is the Chili has “Chili” but they both still have Chili Beef and Chili Sauce which seems kind of the same thing.

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**Author:** ![glowacks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/glowacks/32/5548_2.png) [@glowacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glowacks)\
**Post date:** [September 19, 2020, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-difference-between-the-chili-mac-and-chili-3-way-at-steak-n-shake/920985/2 "2020-09-19T06:07:57Z")

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Just going by the description, the 3-way has extra Chili beef. This would be on top of the normal amount. I’m not sure what makes it a 3-way though. I thought I had the answer previously but failed to read closely.