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My First Time At: Steak 'n Shake

A Pleasant Milkshake Experience

By Relaxed TouristPublished 7 years ago 3 min read
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Before I get too deep into this I would like to clarify: there are some places I have visited in my travels I will not review. The reasons for this will vary from "a review is not appropriate" to "I do not review large chains." This falls to the latter. The Steak 'n Shake restaurant is a fairly sizable chain with over 500 restaurants nation wide and is just getting larger. I recently had the opportunity of going to a Steak 'n Shake for the first time. I was pleasantly surprised.

My first time had a Steak 'n Shake was a few very short weeks ago while visiting Erie Pennsylvania for a weekend to enjoy a day or two at Splash Lagoon indoor water park. It wasn't something I decided on lightly as I usually like to enjoy local places that I can't get anywhere else but after a few minutes of deliberation my traveling companions and I all determined we had not been to a Steak 'n Shake before as there is not one where we live in NY and it would be faster than trying to hunt down a local restaurant when we had to hit the road.

We pulled into the park lot and stepped inside. I wasn't 100% sure what to expect as I had believed Steak 'n Shake to be something similar to a fast food place like McDonald's or Burger King but was surprised to see that it was a lot closer to a Friendly's. In reviewing their menu and noticing the numerous burger options I saw them trying to keep up with their "Famous for Steakburgers" slogan even though not a single menu option actually appeared to contain steak.

The restaurant was actually fairly busy, busier than I originally expected it to be. We were sat at the counter within 10 minutes when it was determined that waiting for a table would take longer than we had hoped. Our waitress was friendly and seemed immediately ready to take our order which tells me either they were hoping for quick turn over or they are used to regulars who already know what they want. I was excited to find that they had both thin and crispy fries and steak fries options. I am someone who finds thin and crispy fries distinctly more satisfying to eat; something about the crunch or being able to eat like 8 at once just does it for me.

My friends settled on burger options that they found enjoyable and I got chicken strips (I don't care for most red meat) and the thin and crispy fries I was so excited to discover existed. I was more happy with the fries than the chicken strips. The chicken strips weren't horrible, just average. The wait for the food wasn't too bad considering how full the place was. The real pleasure of the lunch experience came in the shakes.

The steak on the menu at Steak 'n Shake may no longer be there but the shakes are and at least to me were amazing enough to being willing to forgive the lack of steak. I enjoyed a Butterfinger shake that was creamy and filled with my favorite candy. My companions were equally satisfied with their milkshakes selecting Heath and Vanilla respectively. I liken this milkshake experience more to eating an ice cream sundae but believe me I had no problem with that.

Steak 'n Shake was a lot more pleasant experience than I expected. There is certain magic about your first time at a chain restaurant like Steak 'n Shake when you find that you enjoy it. It is almost of a recapturing of the feeling of getting a Happy Meal when you are 8 years old. Most of the time as adults, fast food or super casual dining is simply a means to an end. Steak 'n Shake made me feel like a little kid again and that is more than I can say for even some of the best restaurants I have been to. Go for the food if you must, but enjoy a shake because you can.

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About the Creator

Relaxed Tourist

I am someone who is lucky enough to be able to travel and vacation frequently. I will be posting reviews of hotels, parks, attractions, and generally anywhere I travel to.

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