Steak 'n Shake - what kind of meat is this?
Written: Mar 23 '05 (Updated Jun 01 '05)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Shake good
Cons: Steak bad
The Bottom Line: -
|
|
|
| carnut2k4's Full Review: Steak 'n Shake |
A few years back there was an excited buzz on the street - a Steak ‘n Shake restaurant was coming to town. I was one of the few people who had never eaten at, or even heard of, this restaurant. I’ll admit it, my curiosity was piqued by the throngs of people clamoring over this.
Tales of ‘Steakburgers’ and ‘the best shakes you’ve ever had’ were floating around for months leading up to the grand opening. By the time the place opened the hype built to the point of it being an ‘event’. The mayor cut a giant ribbon. A couple of radio personalities emceed the event and it made the evening news. The lines were ridiculous for the first few days so I waited a good week before trying it out.
Isn’t steak supposed to come from a cow?
I fought my way into a primo parking spot and headed into the brand new building. The exterior is appropriately fast-foody and the interior is a typical retro burger joint type of set-up. A small counter with spinning stools seats a half dozen patrons up front and then the seating area seats another hundred or so diners. It threw me off a little when I realized it was table service. The way it was spoken about and the whole feel of the place makes you think it will be a McDonalds type of dining experience, but it’s not. You sit down and your server brings you a menu, which is surprisingly more complex than the fast food restaurants I had lumped the place with in my mind.
The burgers (called steakburgers) are just burgers. Don’t expect a steak sandwich here. Several variations can be had as a ‘platter’, meaning you pick 2 (of 8) sides to go with your burger. The burgers themselves come with however many toppings you like and can be had as a single, double or triple, with or without cheese. The burgers are not as good as McDonalds or Burger King or Checkers or White Castle or (insert your own), etc. When the first Steak ‘n Shake restaurant opened in 1934 in Normal, Il the proprietor, Gus Belt, made a name for himself by wheeling in a barrel of actual steaks and grinding them in front of the patrons and then making the burgers. A brilliant marketing ploy and probably a burger worthy of the name ‘Steakburger’. I’m sure the chain will not re-institute that method lest we all find out what species is actually being ground up and labeled ‘steak’. Suffice it to say they aren’t very tasty and have been known (to me) to cause flatulence like you ain’t never seen before.
The sides are interesting. The fries are skinny shoestring fries which I’m not a fan of. I find them on the tasteless side. I actually like the baked beans here. A salad (lettuce and tomato) is available along with soup, cottage cheese, onion rings, chili and coleslaw.
Several melts and even a fish sandwich can be had by the brave. Soft drinks are from the Coke family (yay) but if you must go here at least have a shake. The ‘steak’ is horrendous but the ‘shake’ is worth indulging in. Aside from the standard chocolate and vanilla, a few oddball flavors are available. I stick with vanilla. Thick, cold, very creamy and very sweet. I don’t know what chemicals are combined to create these shakes and I don’t care. This is a great example of better living through modern chemistry. Who needs milk and ice cream when you can have whatever these folks are mixing up!
The experience
Obviously I’ve been there more than once. More often than not I use the drive through window and only to pick up a shake on the way home. The dine-in experience is a little strange. The employees are friendly and helpful but what it comes down to is this. You’re eating a meal that is unquestionably fast food, but it’s being served to you on real plates with real silverware by a real waitress. A waitress working for tips mind you. You can get just about any meal on the menu for under ten bucks which is a bargain for a sit down restaurant but you would think the prices were high if you ordered at the counter and bussed your own table – which the quality of the food here warrants. The dining room is clean enough and the rest rooms are a notch above McDonalds but overall I don’t see a reason to go here unless it’s for a shake.
Last thoughts
It’s a good theory on paper but it just doesn’t work. It’s like going to McDonalds and getting table service with real plates and paying a premium for it. It’s strange. There are more than 400 of these restaurants in 19 states in the southern, mid-western and heartland regions. Apparently they’re doing something right to maintain such phenomenal growth although the fact that they haven’t made it to the northeast (food snob alert) tells me they know their limitations. Go for the shakes but avoid the steaks.
www.steaknshake.com
Reservations..............not taken / needed
Vegetarians...............limited to a few side dishes
Bathrooms.................clean
Kid Friendly...............yes
Hours.........................open 24 hours
Dress Code................casual
Parking......................parking lot / free
Wheelchair Access....yes
Credit Cards...............visa, mastercard, discover
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
carnut2k4
|
 - Top 500 |
|
Member: Jason
Location: in the wind
Reviews written: 99
Trusted by: 59 members
About Me:
Muscle Shoals has got The Swampers
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.