14 Surprising Facts About One Of America's Most Beloved Burger Joints: Steak 'n Shake

by N/A, 10 years ago | 2 min read

No matter how many steakburgers you may have consumed there, there's a lot to be known about this family favorite.Â

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1. It started out as a gas station.

Normal, Illinois residents Gus and Edith Belt began fried chicken, fries, coleslaw, and beer at the Shell station they owned to make more money during the Great Depression. The town council voted to ban the sale of alcohol so the Belt's decided to open a burger restaurant instead.Â

2. Food safety has always been important to Steak 'n Shake.

There weren't many health codes when the restaurant first opened, but Gus Belt created an open kitchen concept so that diners could see how their food was prepared.Â

3. The founder would prepare the burgers right in front of the customers.

Although this isn't practiced anymore, Gus Belt used to bring a barrel of t-bones, sirloins and round steaks and grind them into patties right in front of the customers.Â

4. Gus Belt did a peculiar kind of research.

Belt used to dig through the trash to see what customers weren't eating to get a sense of what wasn't selling.Â

5. Edith Belt ran the company for 15 years after Gus died.

Gus Belt died in 1954 and Edith ran the company until 1969. At that time they own 51 locations and she sold to a restaurant group for $17 million.

6. Steak 'n Shake almost became a run-of-the-mill fast food chain.

The Longchamps Company, which purchased the company from Edith Belt, start streamlining production which meant that they were doing things as quickly and cheaply as possible. Longchamps later sold the company to the Franklin Company and they took the company back to its roots.

7. The company's most successful owner made major contributions to the food industry.

Franklin Corporation sold Steak 'n Shake in 1981 to Consolidated Products. Ed Kelley, the president of Consolidated help bring A1 Steak Sauce, Cool Whip and other well-known brands to life. While owned by Consolidated, Steak'n Shake doubled their number of restaurants by the 90s.

8. Roger Ebert loved Steak 'n Shake.

In a 2009 blog post, he wrote "If I were to take President Obama and his family to dinner and the choice were up to me, it would be Steak 'n Shakeâ€”and they would be delighted." He has also said that it was his favorite restaurant as a kid.

9. One of its locations is a landmark.

The Springfield, Missouri location sits along what used to be Route 66 still has all of it's original design.

10. They almost went bankrupt.

In 2008, the chain sold to Biglari Holdings and dropped its prices. The company was 90 days from insolvency when Biglari took over.Â

11. Biglari also owns Maxim.

...The more you know?

12. There's a Steak 'n Shake race car.

Steak 'n Shake is the primary sponsor of the No. 15 Indy car this year. The car is co-sponsored by Maxim and owned by David Letterman.

13. The company is going international.

50 locations are planned for Saudi Arabia and 15 are planned for Pakistan. New locations have already opened in Santa Monica, Dubai and on the French Riviera in Cannes.

14. The Seven Layer Steakburger is one of the most talked about menu items.

The 1,330-calorie steak burger is sold for $7.77 and is not for the faint of heart.Â