Had a Horrible Experience at Steak 'N Shake
By LooeyVille
@LooeyVille (46)
United States
November 9, 2026 11:56am CST
Steak 'N Shake is an American casual diner restaurant that's been around since 1934.
Back in the 1970's and maybe through 2000 they were wonderful places to eat. They served "steakburgers" instead of "hamburgers" and their food was always fresh and tasty. The waitresses wore checkered shirts and hats like the old-timey days.
There are two of these equally distant from our house, so we were out near one of them today and thought we'd give it a try. I hadn't been in one in 10+ years.
It was AWFUL! They don't have servers anymore. You can't even order from a human being. You have to use a kiosk to order your meal. The floor was super greasy and slippery. You couldn't use the soda fountain to fill your cup unless you had a QR scan code, but the kiosk didn't have us a receipt to have a scan code. When we walked over to where the straws and condiments were, there were 30 or so gnats flying around. It grossed me out, but we had already ordered and paid for our food. Oh, and similar to the discussion I posted yesterday, the kiosk asked for a tip for "restaurant management." NOPE!
The food itself was actually pretty good. Hubby said the ketchup tasted tainted.
We will NEVER go back there again.
10 people like this
9 responses
@MarieCoyle (64925)
•
21h
Never, ever eat at a restaurant that has swarms of gnats. Not trying to gross you out, but if they have gnats at the drink station, the gnats live in the nozzles, etc. And gnats make maggots, so they have maggots. Please don't go be sick...but next time you see gnats in a drink station, leave immediately. I taught food safety and sanitation classes for a long time, for restaurants. This is a huge, huge no-no. And call the health department immediately and report it!
3 people like this
@LooeyVille (46)
• United States
21h
OMG!!!! So I should call the health department? Can I be anonymous?
3 people like this
@MarieCoyle (64925)
•
21h
@LooeyVille
Yes, I think you can. But you do need to call them. If they have them in the drink station, they have them in the kitchen, too.
3 people like this
@wolfgirl569 (142499)
• Marion, Ohio
17h
I would have asked for my money back and also reported them to corporate and health department
3 people like this
@Deepizzaguy (126628)
• Lake Charles, Louisiana
17h
Sorry to learn that your visit to Steak 'n Shake has terrible food.
2 people like this
@JohnRoberts (109317)
• Los Angeles, California
21h
How awful. I would have walked out once I saw no human assistance. This is the trend in the restaurant industry. I have walked out of Taco Bell because no human takes an order and must use confusing kiosk. Also forces you to use plastic not cash.
2 people like this
@snowy22315 (214866)
• United States
1h
There was one near Fredericksburg for awhile, and I loved the taste of their burgers and shakes, but the french fries were horrible. They eventually shut down and moved out, kind of a pity.
