Steak ‘n Shake

Steak ‘n Shake is A-​OK by me. Of course it’s busy all the time because of their great, low prices, (even lower if you use the coupons, like I do) but the staff always seems to accommodate the customers, no matter how big the table has to be. Everything I’ve ordered has been delish and the shakes are the best of anywhere. Sometimes the staff has to mop the floor while we’re dining, but I’d rather see that than a dirty, sticky floor. Huge assortment of tasty dinners and breakfasts too.

We stopped on our way to Chicago for breakfast. I’m a little shaky on breakfast because of other locations, but Leon who was working the counter and cooking took care of us and made everything hot, right, and delicious!

Went through the drive thru at this locations for the first time since Russ Left the Management. Got my order wrong THREE times. Fast forward 2 weeks and I am Currently sitting in the drive thru as I type this. I have been waiting for 19 minutes thus far. Looks like there are two managers present and the fact that this is normal is unbelievable. I will not be returning to this location.
Edit: got our food after 22 minutes and it was incorrect. Got it right the second time around. Insanity. This place is a circus.

This place is consistently filthy. No matter where you look you see it. The servers always have stains on their white uniforms, the floors are sticky, I heard there is a leak in the roof that is over the cooler where the meat is stored. The management is to blame for all of this. How do you walk into work and not clean it? You also allow your employees to leave the place look the way it does. I will not be back to eat here. I also have sent in a review to Steak ‘n Shake’s corporate office. I doubt anything would change.

Shakes are great, some of the burgers are tasty as well. If you can get passed the filthy floor, you will be fine.

Open 24 hours thank god. Made me a good Chili Mac in the middle of the night when I was starving. Bathrooms weren’t great though, so fair warning. Efficient service.

To eat really cheap and not feel satisfied with the portions, this is your place! Now, I will grant you that the milkshakes are good (can I have an oreo milkshake to go please?) And the burgers themselves do have flavor but damn can a girl get a REAL burger (five guys, anyone?) and fries. (Oh, they skimp on those as well but you can ask for more, I suppose) Just not MY kind of burger and shake place. But to the guy next to me, he might order five and say it’s awesome!

Being a bus girl at a restaurant, I tend to try to understand when some restaurants are falling behind. However, I was very displeased with what I came in to see today. Walked in and there was a line, although a majority of the restaurant was empty. Hm, how could that be? Well, two tables had full, dirty bus bins on top of them. Bus bins are used to collect dirty dishes, trash, etc. The fact that they had these SITTING OUT, was appalling. Not only that, but there was a table full of dirty dishes and such. Not an employee to be seen for a couple minutes, besides the ones behind the register. People literally walked in, and walked back out. My sister and I walked out as well. We decided to take a trip to the drive through, I mean they have to be fast then right? Wrong. Sat there for 10+ minutes waiting for my food. The employee answered my questions horribly, as if they had ran out of patience with us the moment we pulled up. Very disappointing.

So after 11 months of wondering, we ventured back to this Steak N Shake for breakfast this time. After a remodel due to a fire about 8 months ago, the décor is greatly improved — modern and inviting! Give this place 1 star!
This concludes the reasons why to dine here…
Now for the facts and warnings about going here!
You would think the fire would of caused this business to rethink how things are done, right? It amazes me that the health department doesn’t shut this place down! I have never seen employees sweep and mop a floor and make it worse than what they started with! The floors were DISGUSTING! There were food crumbs everywhere, on the floor, on the seats, under the beverage station — I’m mean, seriously?! Furthermore, the stack if dirty dishes in the window that we could see from our seats made us question whether to eat or not. They obviously did not touch the bathrooms during the «renovations». Smells the same, too.
We noticed a new manager working, behind the counter, never came out front. The staff is slow and inexperienced. Service is definitely not improved at all. Took 10 minutes just to get our beverages. Our server was newer and did NOT know the menu. She seemed very confused at every turn. Our receipt was wrong, but the nice griddle worker fixed it at the register. (That new manager was busy yelling at staff in the back — hopefully at someone to wash the dishes!)
Food was decent, not good. Pancakes are still better than IHOP. Kitchen staff was efficient and quick, relatively speaking. This appears to have saved this review from receiving a zero!
Bottom line: Final grade with opportunity to remediate: «F». Sorry corporate: You failed at saving this place. The food truck would be a better choice!
Sorry, but this location should be condemned, leveled, and replaced with something completely different, say Chipotle? Five Guys?
Let’s know provide you with options! Please take a moment to choose from the following:
1) Drive to Frankfort or Watseka if you want Steak N Shake in the Kankakee area — you can thank me later!
2) Want a better breakfast? Cracker Barrel just to the North of the interstate.
3) Want to support local businesses? Drive 5 – 7 min north on route 50 to Manteno and go to Yanni’s Café on Main Street. Great breakfast or lunch!
4) Want THE best burgers EVER? Look up Burgers & Beer in Kankakee! Burger Perfection!
This will be the last report on this establishment. You won’t ever catch me here ever again! I am now heading to Burgers & Beer!

We came in for an early dinner before we hit the road. Oh my goodness. The place was disgustingly dirty. The hostess who tried to seat us wiped a dirty table with apparently dirty rag. The seats were filled with crumbs. The floor. omg the floor was filthy with food. Ew! We asked a sweet girl to clean the table again, then we asked her to wipe out the seats and then we asked her to clean the floor. Before the poor girl could get back to us with the broom, we decided it was time to leave the place. We both cringed thinking about what the kitchen looked like. The horror! When the girl arrived with the broom and dustpan, we told her that we wouldn’t be staying. The place just turned us off and although I’ve been here a few years back, I probably will never patronize this place again. Diners beware! Eat at your own risk.

Holy wow. If only zero stars were an option. The only good thing I can say is our server was a very nice young lady. Hence the 1 star.
Let me start by saying the place was a MESS! From the dirty tables to the floors that appeared to have not been swept in days. So, after a 5 minute wait, we were seated at a table with ketchup on it. Our server came to take our order, brought out our drinks, and then we waited — for 30+ minutes — for a meal that was cold and accompanied by equally cold, greasy fries.
This trip was my first taste of Steak n Shake and, due to this experience, my last.

Been here 30 minutes and just got my drinks. This is the second time this has happened. Really slow service. But gosh darn it I love the food.

Wow. What a difference a fire makes. I used to really like going here but since this outlet reopened the service is bad, the food is off, and several servers have been clueless. Case in point: our server one night said they didn’t have Coke Zero when in fact they did, at the drive through window. And the place just did not look clean to me.
Simply stated? I won’t be back until changes are made, be it at the server level, management, or elsewhere. I’ve been going to Steak N Shake since 1974, and this IMHO is the worst one I’ve visited.

What I expected for fast food good service compared to McDonald’s but the portion of meat you receive is not like the picture what so ever

The floors were filthy, so filthy that they were slippery on a clear, sunny, day. The silverware was dirty. The bathroom was gross. The servers were alternativly indefferent and somewhat helpful, we asked for silverware 2x, and 2 of our orders were wrong. The food was average at best, though cold.

We were wanting steak and shake for the entire ride home from Tennessee and when we got here we discovered it to be boarded up. What a let down. Now we are at the slowest bakers square in the world

Went to steak n shakes with my mom because we wanted ice cream. What bad service. Took us almost twenty minutes for our shakes. They were good price was ok. another thing no napkins on the table and you had to take your own bill to cashier my mom and we’re not impressed with place don’t recommend it to any one

I come here way way too often. After a 12-​hour shift where I have barely had the opportunity to use the restroom, sat down for less than 10 minutes, and attempted to call a granola bar brunch, I am equal parts starved and exhausted. My late night options are limited and Steak n Shake is the ultimate comfort «fast-​food.» I have spent far too many late nights here, dating back to before I could even drive. Sheesh.
The drive-​thru is open 24 hours (okay, I guess the dining room is too) and the employees have always been outgoing and friendly. The food is cheap (I believe all meals are under $ 4 now) and they have a million-​bajillion milkshake flavors and combinations (I counted). They also send out coupons through different newspapers weekly.
Chicken fingers with their honey mustard (seriously the best honey mustard sauce on earth), and cheese fries have been my order since I was in the 5^th grade. I know this because my BFF’s Mom used to bribe us with this very meal in order for us to keep our pie-​holes shut during church service.
Other notable items include the frisco melt, chili mac 5-​way and the different hot dogs.
Speaking of cheese fries… The reason I wrote this review was because I read a previous review falsely accusing SnS of using canned nacho cheese sauce and I am so appalled and offended. I have a deep addiction to cheese fries and can’t believe someone would make such accusations. This is definitely delicious, quality CHEDDAR cheese. From a can? I don’t know. Probably. But it’s good. :)

Next to Kmart and Texas Roadhouse. Overall the service was fine, but it took forever to get our food and drinks. The place was maybe a ¼ full and it took 30 minutes just to get our shakes. I got a new veggie melt they had with their frisco sauce added to it, and it was tasty. I wish their cheese for their fries wasn’t that canned nacho cheese. Our shakes were good, but on the menu it said only the banana was fresh fruit, and I wish all the fruit was fresh for it just tastes better and is better for you.

Steak ‘n Shake was where I spent a lot of time during the drunken part of my 20’s. Fortunately, that time in my life is over, but I still love me some Steak n Shake.
Their food is outrageously tasty and not just when you’re drunk. I like any of their burgers, but my absolute fave is the Frisco Melt. Anything with Thousand Island dressing is alright by me. They also get bonus points because they allow multiple coupons on one order. My mom is an even bigger cheap skate than me and I went with her & my sis one day for lunch and she used 4 coupons. For each of us to get shakes, burgers and fries, it cost like $ 12 total. I tipped our waiter, Jake, $ 6 though cause he was one of the best waiters I’ve ever had. Ask for Jake if you dine here!
Don’t forget about their happy hour if you’re not at work — 2 – 4 PM during the week. Their shakes are already fantastic, but half priced makes them even better. Try the salted caramel shake. It has crushed pretzels in it. so yummy!