Our Visit to Steak ‘n Shake

In keeping with National Burger Month, Roc and I visited our local Steak ‘n Shake Signature located in Paramus Park Mall in Paramus, NJ.  I was semi-familiar with the concept and always equated the burger joint with the Midwest, but never actually ate at one.

Steak ‘n Shake first opened in the Paramus location back in the late Fall, and I’m very happy to say that they’ve come a long way since the initial growing pains (i.e. excrutiatingly slow service, no children’s menu) of their opening.

My son and I hit the mall pretty frequently and try to keep lunch on the healthier side whenever possible.

But sometimes ya gotta have a burger. And fries.  OK and maybe even a shake.

The cool thing about Steak ‘n Shake is that you don’t have to feel too guilty about your indulgence, because they use organic beef that is free of antibiotics and hormones, fresh cut russet potato fries and crisp produce.  The company website says they “pioneered the ‘better burger’.”  And they very well might have, since the burger establishment was founded in 1934.

It’s also kind of crazy how inexpensive it is for what you get:  all of the Steak ‘n Shake burger options on the menu are automatically served with their signature had-cut fries, with the prices range from only $3.99 to $6.99.  And items on the Kids Menu are all below $3 – but do not include a drink – so you’re looking at about $4 for a Kids Meal.  And yet they’re made of quality products…literally, steak, meaning cuts of Rib Eye and New York Strip.  So, from a business perspective, am curious what’s in their secret sauce that helps them still make a margin.

But back to the meat and potatoes of what this post is about – the food.

I like the Signature Steakburger n’ Fries which is 6oz of 100% organic beef made with cuts of Rib Eye and NY Strip, and is topped with American cheese and a garden of goodness.  The fries are shoe-string style, and I find myself inhaling them by the handful (quite a sight, I must say) anytime I’m there.

Let’s talk about the Kids Meal for a minute – my son LOVES the 3-D cardboard car given to each child, complete with a little sheet of stickers. It’s a fun distraction for him while we await our food – which can take a few minutes since each burger is made to order.

I know my way around burgerville pretty well (and even had a silly burger blog 5 years ago!), and in my humble, sesame-seedless bun opinion, I would say that Steak ‘n Shake lives somewhere between a really yummy fast-casual/family restaurant burger and a BuCu burger. It’s not quite the Shake Shack or Bill’s Bar & Burger, but it’s way better than Five Guys (I know, I know, I know….I’m the ONLY person on the planet that doesn’t like Five Guys…kindly spare me the hate comments on this.)

Next on my list is SmashBurger…stay tuned to see where they stack up.

oxox

-mom a la mode

{I was not compensated in any way for this post.  All opinions expressed here are solely mine.}