How Steak ‘n Shake Is Serving Up The American Dream

Steak ‘n Shake’s franchise partner program gives aspiring entrepreneurs the opportunity to earn big money.

Maxim Staff

Nov 8, 2024

The American Dream is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller.… regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position.” These remarkable words from James Truslow Adams’ The Epic of America have reverberated in the minds of aspirational citizens for more than a century. The American literary icon’s profound passage, which coined the phrase “The American Dream,” was first published in 1931, just three years before the 1934 founding of Steak ‘n Shake, the Midwestern burger chain credited with creating the steakburger.

Just as Adams crystallized the American Dream in his bestseller for future generations, Steak ‘n Shake’s franchise partner program cultivates it for today’s ambitious Americans. In fact, Sardar Biglari, CEO of Biglari Holdings, owner of Steak ‘n Shake, captured Adams’ sentiment in his characterization of the program. Biglari says, “Becoming a franchise partner does not involve great capital, but it does require great talent. The touchstone of our program is performance, an opportunity available to all based on ability rather than birthright, race, religion or any other arbitrary characteristic. Our ideals match up with the same ideals that built America.”

“Doubtless, a good number of our partners will become millionaires,” Biglari continues. “But make no mistake: We’re not minting millionaires but merely providing the means; they’re earning every penny.”

As opposed to a traditional restaurant franchise model, which requires the franchisee to invest $2 million or more before serving a single customer, it costs only $10,000 for a Steak ‘n Shake franchise partner to open a business with money-printing potential. The average Steak ‘n Shake franchise partner easily earns six figures, with some making upward of $300,000 in their first year alone.

Press McDowell, a St. Louis–based franchise partner, shared, “I earned in two months what I made in a year at my previous job.” When asked about the $10,000 one-time expense, McDowell stated, “It’s the best investment I’ve made in my life. I made close to 20 times that amount in the first year. Other franchises have a much bigger barrier with high investment costs. Steak ‘n Shake has a small upfront investment. Within the first month, I made that money back. I consider this investment a blessing.”

Howard Readus, an Indianapolis-based partner, added, “This program is unique. There isn’t any other restaurant program I can think of in the country that allows you to be an actual owner-operator of your own brand. My wife and I have been able to become homeowners. I feel like this is one of the greatest accomplishments of my life. It’s hard work, but it pays off in the end.”

“I wanted to own a restaurant and achieve the American dream,” shared Todd Baumann, also an Indianapolis-based partner. “Getting started was tough, but I knew at the end it would be worth it to achieve my dream of owning a restaurant. I have the freedom to run my business the way I want to, and I still have a team that can help me.”

But a thriving business requires both the dedication of hard-working operators and a great product. And in the burger market, Steak ‘n Shake has the best product, according to none other than “New York Times”- bestselling cookbook author and culinary influencer Joshua Weissman, who taste-tested and definitively ranked 18 offerings from the largest and most storied hamburger hot spots in the United States.

“It’s beefy—you immediately taste the beef—followed by the gooey cheese,” Weissman said upon trying Steak ‘n Shake’s Original Double Steakburger with Cheese in his popular YouTube video, “I Tried Every Fast Food Burger in America.” “You get a solid crunch from the pickles. It’s acidic, but not too acidic. The best part of the burger is easily the meat—a burger should be tender and melt in your mouth. It should be the filet mignon of American sandwiches.”

“This is the one burger that broke it all up.… They made a burger that should be a burger,” he concluded for more than 4.7 million viewers and counting. “That means that Steak ‘n Shake wins!” It’s only fitting that “The Best Burger in America” is being served by the restaurant chain that empowers its operators to achieve the American Dream.