shift manager

team member

cashier

grill cook

crew member

Steak N Shake

I was a manager for this company.  My experience will vary from hourly employee experiences.

Pros
Great health benefits - Example: For full medical, vision, and dental with extremely low co-pays and deductibles, only $65.00 every two weeks.
Pay isn't terrible for a Q.S.R., but doesn't balance with the work load.

Cons
Upper management is a total mess, no one knows what they are doing. - Example: For a company not generating much profit at all, you would think sales growth strategies or how to improve the guest experience would be the top priorities, but the two conference calls I was involved with in my time with the company.....what color shirts managers should be wearing. Yup, that was their top priority.
Huge work load. Not only do you work 12-15 hour days, you are constantly bugged on your days off.  The GM at my particular store told us that she expected us to work 80-90 hour work weeks.  Our District manager, our Division President didn't even work 80-90 hour work weeks.  I am all for being 100% dedicated to my career, but not allowing me to have time off to be with my family is a big deal to me. Especially when only making $35,000 a year.  The work/life balance with this company is terrible. I was a manager for 5 years with a casual dining company, Darden, and they didn't even expect us to put in that kind of time, not to mention i made $10,000 a year more. 

As this review might seem like complaining, take from it what you will. My opinion, NO job is worth so much stress to where it starts to affect your family life.  My mine concern was food safety and sanitation practices at the particular store I was at.  I, on two separate occasions, caught the General Manager switching day dots on boxes of beef so she wouldn't take the hit on food costs.  She would rather risk the safety of our patrons than lose money in food costs.  I reported these incidences and NOTHING was done to correct the behavior.  My last week with the company, I had a Chili Mac Supreme for my break, and guess what happened?  I got food poisoning.  Cibilus sereus, a type of food poisoning you acquire from bad rice, potatoes, and pasta.  The day dot that was on the prepped pasta I ate was good until Wednesday, and I ingested it on Monday night, suggesting to me that the pasta was cooked and prepped that morning.  Seems to me more like the day dots were switched. The company switched over to the 28 hour rule (to screw its hourly employees out of health benefits) so turnover was through the roof and we could retain anyone because the other managers felt like yelling at them on their first week was a great way to correct behavior.  Our GM looked at a guy that had only been there for a week one day, and in front of everyone, said, "Come on man, everyone is waiting on you."  Yeah, great way to speak to a new person.  I wouldn't want to come back to work after being talked to like that.  He was so upset after his shift that I called him and talked to him to assure him everything was going to be okay.  We eventually lost him too.  Don;t get me wrong, there were some great things about he job.  The team members, for the most part were very pleasant and worked great together, the health benefits are probably, if not the best in the industry, the pay isn't terrible, although the work/life balance is off a bit, but other than that, one of the worst places I have EVER worked.  The saddest part about it, is that not only did SnS lose a great manager (sounds stuck up, but I know what I am and I am a great leader), the also lost me as a guest, because I will not eat there again knowing that they have management in place that would rather risk mine and your safety to make a quick buck.  Not on my watch, so I quit. If you are looking for a management position with a fast food/quick service/fast casual establishment, steer clear of this one. It's not worth the time and stress.

I applied through their website. I heard from people that the best way to get a job is to keep calling, to follow up. And so I did. Every time I called, I asked for a manager/hiring manager. I finally got a hold of her. I said that I applied for a cashier (which they were not looking for) and she said to apply for a different position. I applied for server.
     After I submitted my application, I called her the next day. I said I just reapplied for a different position. She said to come in a few days later for an interview.
     I come in to the restaurant and say that I am here for an interview. I wait while the host gets said manager. It takes her a while to get ready. Then, out comes another manager. She states that the hiring manager is a bit busy and that she will be interviewing me instead. She just asked the normal questions. Availability, why I stick out, achievements that I am proud of etc. At the end, she tells me that she isn't looking for anyone that fits my criteria.
     I kept following up. Calling and calling nearly every day. I think it was about a month later that I got a hold of the woman from the first time I called. She said to come in the next day for a SECOND interview. I was ecstatic.
     Once in the restaurant, I found another host and said the same thing as before. She told me to sit down. I noticed that there was another guy already sitting. He looked to be about 20-ish years old. Then comes another guy, about 40. The hiring manager asked the host who came in first. She replied the 20 year old, then me, then the other 40 year old. She went to the 20 year old and interviewed him, I thought she was gonna come to me, but she didn't. She went to the other guy, which was fine cause I didn't want them to overhear my business anyways.
     She finally came to me. She asked my name, phone number. She was using certain words to hint that I got the job. She stated my pay rate, when my first day was, etc. I started on June 22, 2016.
     And so the first day rolls around. I was so happy. I was also nervous. I walked in and told the host again that today was my first day and I wasn't sure on what to do. She led me to the woman that interviewed me the first time. From there, she led me to the back where I met the restaurant owner. That day consisted of filling out paper work. 5-8, all paper work, paid of course.
     For the next few days, I was training. A typical day at work consisted of clocking in, washing hands, putting on gloves, hairnet and hat. I was to shadow someone on grill (which is where I was supposed to work). I loved it. I was just supposed to watch them and place buns on the grill to toast. Super easy. This happened until around Thursday, July 21 of the same year. I told my manager I didn't want to do grill anymore. I didn't like it. I requested to do drive thru and she approved.
     I believe the hardest part of the job was happy hour. Even then, it wasn't too bad. You just had to deal with the constant demand of your attention. The most enjoyable part was definitely management and my coworkers. I love every single one of them. For example, every day when I go into work, everyone asks me how I am doing. This is definitely a great first job.

As a manager of Steak n Shake, you were responsible for timely serving of the guest, many of whom are regulars and enjoy the famous steakburgers and the classic music being played through the musak system.  

The management position is a multifaceted position mostly held by those who have been with the company for several years. Some of the challenges that were presented is assuring that all positions are covered during peak times which sometimes required the managers to take over a position which did not allow him/her to be fully aware of everything going on in the restaurant or allow the manager to interact with guest to insure guest satisfaction

The position of manager at steak n shake is very difficult. If you can find a way to circumnavigate the difficulties of running a kitchen staff as well as a serving staff while maintaining the fast food mentality of this full service concept, the rewards were good. The ASL's were always available and willing to come in and help. Whether they were needed to cover a manager who was out, or help shore up a position that was open by the many call outs that tend to plague the brand. They were not afraid to roll up their sleeves and help. They were also there to help come up with solutions for scheduling issues as well as other issues that may arise such as conflict between management staff, sudden change in management count for each store and the company as a whole. 

My biggest complaint is the management instability. Too much management turnover which forced the relocation of managers to different stores. Luckily most of the stores were close to each other so the distance wasn't bad. but because of the moving of management from one store to another always upset the dynamic of the restaurants because associates where not use to the newly introduced manager or their style of managing which resulted in conflict and multiple call outs and associates leaving. all of this results in sub par management and a constant influx of new associates and managers who were not well enough developed or ready to handle the business of the many facets of steak n shake.

I enjoy working at steak n shake. The systems in place work but because of some of the issues mentioned before, the application of these systems suffer. The food is good, the pricing of the food keeps guest returning, The fast paced environment keeps you on your toes. Plenty of room for growing from associate level to at least a salaried manager as the store manager positions are held by managers who have been with the company 10+ years.

This company promised me so much; flexible work hours, decent pay, promotions, ect.  I was made to work seven positions alone on the busiest days of the week only to be told I was ineligible for a raise because I wasn't doing enough for the company.  I had worked there full time for six years, and had only taken about six or seven sick days the entire time I was there, and rarely had tardies.

They had me on 6 day work weeks, while still being on call my only day off.  By the end I was working 14 hour shifts with no breaks regularly, all for less than what a starting kitchen staff was making at the Olive Garden next door.

That's right.  I was making 12 an hour as a manager while a salad maker at the Olive garden next door was starting at 12.50.  

I had worked for the location for 6 years, and trained over 150 staff members, often doing paperwork on the side on my off time, dealing with employee problems and questions on my personal phone and email- all while being a part time/hourly manager.  All of said duties were to be the salary managers' jobs- which they never did correctly and expected me to fix on top of my food safety duties.  Which often general and higher management never finished, and never realized equipment was broken or left in dangerous conditions.

The company has impossible standards for what they offer, pay wise.  They put profits over people and it's honestly disheartening to watch senior staff members quit over new policies introduced seemingly randomly.

The stores never close, even when our location was down to 10 staff members at a 50 staff location.  Even when we ran out of shake ice cream, or the fryers broke- upper management said we WEREN'T ALLOWED to post a sign apologizing for the inconvenience, leading to several very very angry guests we would have to calm down.

I left the location in tears after half a decade of trying my darnedest to make a difference in the life of my staff and guests, and it's left me unhappy and ashamed to ever have worked at a place that thinks fresh food made with quality ingredients can be made in under a minute for four dollars a darn sandwich.

Next time you boast about how cheap the food is, think about what it means for the quality of life for the people making it, and what sort of quality and service the food is even prepared at.

As a former employee of the Gurnee location, I rate this work experience as the worst of any job I've had, and will ever have. A typical day of work involved me arriving to a dirty restaurant with incompetent managers and co-workers. I feel as though I was the only employee amongst dozens (of which the turnover rate was higher than I've ever witnessed at any company), who seemed concerned with maintaining a clean restaurant and providing service warranting customers' return. A typical day's work involved management resorting to and remaining in the office the length of my shift, co-workers with dirty appearance, improper vocabulary, uneducated and unconcerned with job retention, resulting in myself functioning at the capacity of manager, server, janitor, dish-washer, drive thru attendant and cashier. Upper management are the worst, although I can't say for sure since they never took the time to converse with me, because having a conversation with me would challenge their effortless work ethic. They  intentionally and consistently under-pay their employees. My termination resulted after receiving three written warnings, all given to me by a manager during a three minute meeting on a Saturday night rush. One of the warnings was for not wearing a bow tie, and two for two separate complaints I received while managing the restaurant since management was never available, although my job description is strictly service. One of the complaints received as a warning was from a customer who verbally threatened me and physically assaulted me. My response was such that I advised I was physically assaulted and stated I would no longer function at capacity of manager until I received adequate training in response to customer complaints. I never received any follow up in any form, from any management, until three months later, when I was terminated for said written warnings, by a phone call on a co-workers telephone 30 minutes prior to my scheduled shift, which resulted in me not being able to pay my rent and losing my apartment. Had they given me any indication of their dissatisfaction I would have resolved the issue to the best of my ability or found work else where. Felons and ex-convicts fit in best in this restaurant. If you are lazy, uneducated and ghetto, this is the place for you.

I worked there for four years and if it wasn't for the GENERAL MANAGER I wouldn't have stayed there that long, I would walk into work around 12 o'clock on day the GM wasn't there with my section full of tables that have been waiting over 45 mins to get their food and when I brought their food to them (mind you these aren't even my tables at the time; they're just in my section) I would get a ear full and ask to speak with a manager, and they would tell me the same thing every time.. "take something off their bill" or never answer me at all or even come to the table at all to speak with the guest. The kitchen staff NEVER wants to help out the servers with the yellow tickets I ALWAYS had this problem of being told to "get it myself" or wouldn't be told at all my ticket would get thrown away and most times guest would have to wait to get their sides because I would be too busy to stop and get it and if I did get it on my own, I would get yelled at for being on kitchen line. another problem is milk shakes, they never come out at a reasonable time; Guest would never be happy by the wait on milk shakes, Never came with the meal when asked always came AFTER guest would finish their food. AGAIN management would not come speak to guest. like I said, I worked here four years and I was pregnant working here after two years and one guy manager would always give me a hard time, he would sen me home when I was last out, he would say mean things about my name and who it doesn't go with my race, he would say things like " every day you come into work I will make you cry and leave" (when I was pregnant) I started to defend myself and called corporate office because it got so bad to the point where I would not want to come to work because of this Manager. It was a HOSTILE work place. never had good food timing very RARELY was it a good day at work because NOBODY wanted to help or work together ( Being run food, Greet guest, Take other tables orders, Take drink orders, HELP OUT AT ALL) it was like everyone man for themselves. the seating chart was UNFAIR, nobody cares about their job at SNS very few good work employees that actually care about their job and very few would come in with clean clothes and very few would have a good attitude at work.

Worked at night so my shift would begin at 11 pm, and we were usually slammed until midnight, then a second wave of evening rush would occur at 3 am when bars usually let out. After washing my hands, I'd be making burgers, shakes or some such like it in two separate rushes or sometimes from 11 straight through to 4 am, with only enough time to clean a little as we went. But when the second bar rush was over, the night staff would work on cleaning up the kitchen as much as possible before or sometimes while one of the night crew gets breakfast together for morning crew. 

What I learned was how to operate a blacktop grill for the first time, to flip and cut up burgers from the grill, and some basics of receiving inventory when I received and unloaded the truck.

Management was a mixed bag, when it wasn't aloof or irreverent, some managers felt the need to be as tough as possible on employees, to the point of ridicule and jeering. There were some managers who were great about jumping right in when they're needed or even hands on to begin with about moving their shift along as smoothly as possible from start to finish.

Workplace culture may have varied from day to night shift. Dining room was closed at night but drive through was open 24/7, there was a somewhat casual air about saying things that would otherwise be seen as inappropriate or intolerable among other restaurants.

The hardest part was being so understaffed that sometimes it was me and only a manager or one other person working either for hours or the entire shift like that. Had it not been a busy location near a highway exit, it might not have been as hectic but as it was many big events end up emptying out at SnS. There was also the concern about getting robbed as it wasn't terribly uncommon at that store.

Most enjoyable part of the job was working at night and when we weren't too understaffed. I liked unloading the truck more than working with the food although I enjoyed doing grill as well.

Bad environment, i have seen like 40 different employees and 12 replacement managers. the restaurant has been a work in progresses since i set foot in the store. its a mess. iv'e worked here at $9 an hour for over a year, no raise. everyone around me has been hired at 10 an hour and then end up terminated or leave because the job is poorly managed and in constant chaos. i have worked 60 hours a week, clean the entire store and have done more than most and have been mistreated for a year and still got no increase of pay or have been thanked once or shown any gratitude for my commitment.
 Dont expect much from steak n shake. They dont care if you leave or stay. they use whatever walks into the door. im serious you can come out for 25 years in prisons and get hired that same day. theres many there now. thats not an issue, thats how the company functions. they take anything, they will take your energy and when your soul is drained from every day of struggling you will not be the same anymore. the shift will have no call no shows and you will still have MANAGE the store on your own because that is how it is. 

I've been on the grill by myself for near 9 months by myself when every weekend it supposed to have 2 on the grill for the busy traffic. the store is 24 hours and theres no way 1 person can handle the store on the grill during the summer when families and groups of teens come in all at the same time and want their food hot and prepared all at once. but they will make you do it regaurdless because thats the way it is. you would think you'd get paid for two peoples jobs since you're doing two peoples jobs but they squeeze any extra work out of everyone there.

I honestly cant complain, Shakes have it worse, they have shakes all  day and have to clean wash the dishes take out the trash and still keep up with their area. its insane, they make like $9 or less for the most work in the store. 

Good luck to the people there now. Wish them the best. Never forget who you are at the end of the day, Steak N Shake isn't your life, its just a job. i hope you remember you're more important than the way they treat you. God has a plan for everyone

I have read some great reviews of Steak 'N Shake. My review is to help you as a potential employee decide if it's a fit for you. I will first say that Steak 'N Shake is a great company. It has one of the best restaurant operations of any quick service places out there. Notice I said quick service, not fast food. If you have worked in a fast food enviroment, you may need to shed cutting corners philosophy. If you are not prepared to combine speed,accuracy, with the goal of putting out quality food with every order, the you should not consider working at Steak 'N Shake. There are two main areas.The server and the production line. The production line requires unique people. On the line the more areas you are efficient at, the more valuable you are. You earn your "wings" and you will be tested on your knowledge of an area of the line. The menu will take you some time to learn. You've got to be able to look at a sandwich and know what it is, and when it gets busy you can have ten sandwiches in front of you, so you see it's more than just making a hamburger. There are salads and more you've got to know the ingredients of every one. All this made to order. For some, this can be overwhelming. Usually, there are seven people working on the production line, some less. You may find yourself doing multiple tasks at some restaurants. There is little down time. Cleanliness is a big priority. Food safety is a must, and yes there is a dress code and a uniform. The production line is kept immaculate. Guests see this, they see how you handle food. Outside of the drive thru, you are putting food on plates. I worked at one of the busiest in the U.S. Yes, it is fun, but you've got to be able to work with people. Slackers hurt the team, and slackers expose themselves very quickly. Steak'N Shake can be a rewarding place to work. Granted, you will work hard, but will certainly work to your advantage in any other job down the road having a great work ethic instilled in you.

I worked at Steak N’ Shake as a server for around 3 years. It’s a very casual atmosphere. More casual than I was use to and very fast paced. The location I worked at was busy and the servers had a lot of responsibility: the servers usually around 4-6 of us would take turns seating the door as customers came in. Take turns running food and shakes. Take care of our section of tables. At least 3 sometimes and could be up to 8 at a time or in some situations even more. The servers took turns cashing the customers out at the register as needed. We are also responsible for bussing and cleaning our tables. This is a lot of hard work and requires excellent communication and team work. Unfortunately in the restaurant business team members come and go frequently so our team wasn’t always working together the best and it can be frustrating. The people who work in the kitchen would come and go a lot depending on the team we had back there it could be frustrating. It’s hard running any restaurant and it’s hard finding good people to work the positions who are reliable and hardworking. It was extremely stressful and I’ve cried many days because of the things I’d have to go through and put up with but a lot of it was just part of working in that type of environment and I stuck it out because I made great money. Because of our fast pace, I would turn tables quickly and started making between $75-$100 per day throughout the week. Divided up hourly it came out to be usually around $12-17 an hour most days. So not bad when you consider that. Also, the General Manager at the store I worked for is one of the most amazing people I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. She’s hardworking and humble and really cares about people and is understanding when it comes to her employees. She is still there and I believe that restaurant has done as well as it has because of her. I know my job there wouldn’t have been the same and pretty unbearable without her there.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Shift manager 412 salaries reported	$17.20 per hour
Team member 484 salaries reported	$15.59 per hour
Cashier 55 salaries reported	$12.25 per hour
Grill cook 72 salaries reported	$13.13 per hour
Crew member 37 salaries reported	$12.88 per hour

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