Steak and Shake Customer Service Issues

In July [redacted], I experienced food poisoning from undercooked chicken at a Danville, Illinois store's drive-thru. After reaching a settlement of $[redacted] in December [redacted] with my attorney, I was informed in March [redacted] that we await Medicaid's release. Following the attorney's dismissal in April, I was assured Steak 'n Shake would contact me. Despite contacting the corporate office, including Lauri Potter and Emily in the legal department, I have had no luck. I possess photos of the contaminated food and the uncooked chicken, and I'm eager for a resolution before seeking new legal counsel or pursuing this matter in court. Your prompt attention is appreciated. Thank you.

Last night, I visited Steak and Shake on Georgesville Road in Columbus, Ohio, with my daughter between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. Upon arrival, we were promptly seated, but unfortunately, no one attended to us for the next 16 minutes. Despite about six employees present, the lady who seated us engaged with teenage boys at the bar instead. Feeling ignored, my daughter and I left and went to another Steak and Shake on Stringtown Road in Grove City. Surprisingly, the dining area was closed, although the restaurant should be open 24 hours. I also noticed that many employees were teenagers, especially during late hours, which raised concerns. Despite being a long-time customer of Steak and Shake for the value it offers, my recent experiences over the past six months have been consistently disappointing in terms of service quality.

I purchased a milkshake and a meal consisting of chicken tenders and fries at a dining establishment. Unfortunately, the chicken tenders were undercooked and the fries arrived cold. After finishing my meal, I went to the register to pay. I unintentionally skipped the tip selection screen, as it was labeled "enter," assuming it was confirming the total. The cashier, who had an accent, mentioned something about a tip, but I misunderstood and thought she was referring to my car keys. The interaction left me feeling confused and uncomfortable. This incident occurred at the location on Dale Mabry in Tampa, Florida ([redacted]).

I work for Doordash to earn extra income. A staff member named Russ threatened me with violence and used inappropriate language in front of customers. Despite my polite reaction, he escalated the situation by accusing me of taking the delivery bag. His aggressive behavior included threats of physical harm and vulgar language towards me. With over 17 years of experience as a casual dining manager and 10 years as a General Manager, I understand HR protocols and find his actions unacceptable. I am not requesting compensation but seek assurance that this will be addressed promptly. If he is on shift during my visits, it will not be a pleasant situation. I am prepared to escalate this matter through social media and other platforms if necessary. I kindly request a response from Doordash. Thank you, Joseph.

I was disappointed with my recent order of Two Double with Cheese Sandwiches "all the way" as they were messy with mustard on the packaging and wilted lettuce. I attempted to contact the customer service number provided on the receipt at 1-[redacted], but the long wait times (25 minutes, 20 minutes, and 15 minutes) were frustrating. It seems like neither corporate nor the managers care about the service or customer satisfaction at this establishment. I am considering taking my business to other companies like Wendy's, Portillos, or Culvers who value their customers. The inconsistency in burger quality and the unhelpful attitude of the managers have made Steak and Shake lose my loyalty. I am extremely dissatisfied with the lack of service and quality and plan to share my experience on platforms like Yelp to warn others.

I want to share my experience at the Steak 'n Shake near the University of Florida. This location is prime due to its proximity to the VA and Shands hospitals. My family and I arrived around 7:00 pm for dinner. Upon entering, we noticed there was no staff in sight, with two other customers also waiting. Two individuals with long dreadlocks came in from outside and began cooking without washing their hands or wearing hair coverings. We were eventually seated after a 10-minute wait, with no other customers present in the store. This lack of organization seems to be a recurring issue. As a business owner, I am disappointed in the management of this Steak 'n Shake. I hope someone addresses these concerns, as I am usually a fan of the chain but cannot recommend this location in its current state. Regards, A.T. [redacted] SW 13th Street Gainesville, Florida [redacted]

I am experiencing issues with the new app. It failed to credit my points from a purchase on 12-1-19 and it inexplicably erased the $10.57 balance from my gift card without me using it. The app's malfunction is frustrating, and the restaurant staff is unable to provide assistance. Considering switching to Jimmy's Egg due to a more reliable app experience. I am requesting the missing points to be added and the $10.57 to be refunded from the gift card. This is my second time reaching out, looking forward to your response. - J. West

I had two passes in my iPhone wallet that were functional until the Steak & Shake app was updated. One pass transferred successfully, but the other did not, leaving me unable to use it. I have made several calls since November 2nd, enduring hold times of 2 hours or more each time, only to be told that someone would call me back. I am still waiting for that call. Today, I contacted the corporate office and requested to speak to a supervisor, only to be informed that she was the sole person in the office. It's astonishing to think that on a Thursday afternoon, only one person would be present. I am incredibly frustrated by Steak & Shake's lack of assistance. I am eager to speak with someone promptly. Thank you, M. Edwards.

I'm currently at the Fairfield Inn in Beavercreek, Ohio. The service here has been disappointing, and unfortunately, this is not the first time I've experienced this. Today, I ordered chicken fingers with fries and onion rings on the side. However, I only received the chicken fingers; the fries and onion rings were missing. I was surprised to see that the onion rings were charged at $2.49 for only six pieces, which felt quite overpriced. Additionally, my friend ordered fries with bacon and cheese on the side but never received them. The food we did receive was cold, including the disappointing onion rings. After this experience, I've decided that this will be my last visit to this location. Thank you.

I had a disappointing experience at the Steak and Shake location on Pleasant Hill Rd in Duluth, GA. When I ordered my food, the manager intervened rudely, implying they wouldn't serve me. Despite placing my order with another staff member, I was asked abruptly what I wanted, then told to "have a nice day" without receiving my order. The manager refused to serve me at the window and was unaccommodating over the intercom, leaving me feeling discriminated against because of my race. This treatment was unnecessary, disrespectful, and makes me believe my business was unwelcome. The manager's behavior was unacceptable and unwarranted. After being a loyal customer of Steak and Shake for over a decade, I am deeply disappointed and do not plan to return to this location. I intend to escalate this issue to higher management and share my experience with others to prevent similar incidents in the future.

I am excited about visiting Steak N Shake in Effingham. Although I live 35 minutes away, I don't get to go often. Yesterday, my son, daughter, and I went through the drive-thru. I eagerly bit into my burger only to find it was completely raw inside. I had to spit it out in the bag. To make matters worse, my daughter discovered two hairs in her burger, causing quite a scene. I was frustrated since I was looking forward to a delicious meal, but ended up spending $29 on unpleasant food. If I hadn't been driving on the interstate already, I would have definitely returned to the restaurant to demand a refund.

I have been trying to reach customer support for quite some time now without any luck. During a recent visit to Steak 'n Shake with two friends, we experienced a frustrating situation at the drive-thru. After waiting for 10 minutes, only the chef came to the window and rudely informed us that he was not the one to assist with the payment. Feeling ignored and disrespected, I was concerned that something might have happened to our food. While the lady who later tried to help was kind, she refused to provide me with any names, which goes against the usual customer service policy. This incident occurred at the Steak 'n Shake location #[redacted] in Champaign Urbanna, Illinois, near Eastland Suites.

I recently ordered a triple steakburger and fries at the Wilmington Pike location. I presented a coupon for a free small shake that stated, "Free small shake with the purchase of any steakburger and fries." To my surprise, I was informed that I could only use the coupon for a single or double steakburger. This situation is frustrating, as I have experienced long waits for my orders in the past, and now they are refusing to honor the coupons correctly. I kindly request that the coupon be honored as advertised, allowing it to be used with ANY steakburger as clearly stated on the coupon. Thank you.

I placed a mobile order at the Steak and Shake in Bowling Green, KY before leaving work. Arriving a bit early, I waited around 10 minutes for my order. Upon checking the bag which was supposed to contain 2 fries and 2 burgers, I found discrepancies. The butter burger I ordered with bacon had no bacon, a regular bun, and few of the toppings I requested. Additionally, the fries were only half full. Despite being a regular customer at this location without issues, this experience with the mobile order was disappointing. I am frustrated that I paid for items that were incomplete.

Last night, my partner and I visited a Steak n Shake on Hillsborough Ave near Hard Rock Cafe in Tampa. We ordered meals at the drive-thru and also got one for a friend. Unfortunately, the burgers were dry and seemed old, possibly kept under a heat lamp too long, and the fries were overcooked and inedible. I went inside to address the issue with the manager, but the only employee there was the same person who took our drive-thru order. She wasn't very friendly and could only offer to remake our order, which we couldn't wait for due to a prior commitment. When I asked for a gift certificate for a future visit, she mentioned it was against company policy but offered to remake our meals if we returned within 48 hours. This experience was disappointing as a loyal Steak n Shake customer, and I was unhappy with the service and food quality.

My wife and I have been loyal customers at several of your locations for years. We have always enjoyed your delicious burgers. However, I have noticed a decline in the cleanliness of your establishments in the past couple of years. The floors are dirty, and the bathrooms are filthy. I recently visited your Brandon location and was disappointed by the lack of cleanliness, particularly in the dining area. There were crumbs and food scattered on the floors, and it didn't seem like they had been mopped properly. I hope that the cleanliness of your restaurants can improve and return to the standards we used to appreciate. Thank you, Dave and Emma Trap.

I have been working as a server for nearly 2 years and feel that the workload is becoming overwhelming. Our management requires us to perform additional non-tipping tasks such as janitorial duties, cleaning dishes, handling carryout orders, managing Uber orders, and preparing drinks on top of our regular responsibilities. With understaffing being a common issue, it is challenging to focus on customer service, seating guests, bussing tables, and maintaining cleanliness with only 2 servers on the floor. I am concerned about not being compensated for these extra non-tipping duties, especially when they exceed the legal limit of 20% of non-serving work. If this situation is not addressed, I will consider taking legal action to resolve it.

I recently used your app and have been a happy user for some time, but there is a crucial improvement that should be implemented. Today, when I placed my order, I mistakenly selected a distant Steak n Shake instead of my usual nearby location due to time constraints for my lunch break. Upon arriving at the restaurant, I was directed to drive forward but was left waiting without assistance despite showing my order on the app, prompting confusion with the staff about the order's location. After realizing the mix-up, I called the correct location for a refund, as suggested on the app, only to be informed I needed to pick up the order. To avoid such issues, the app should enable customers to designate a favorite location and confirm their selection before ordering.

During my visit to the Coralville, Iowa location on Sunday night, I requested a foam cup from the waitress for my son's shake. When she brought the cup, my son was drinking from the original plastic cup as well. The waitress abruptly took the plastic cup from my son's hands, causing the shake to spill over him. I spoke with the manager about this incident, but he was unhelpful and did not handle the situation well. I am disappointed by this experience and would appreciate it if you could contact me to discuss this matter further. My contact number is [redacted]. Thank you.

I have visited your establishment numerous times and would like to visit again in the future. I believe your company should consider franchising in Phillipsburg, New Jersey. There is an opportunity at the Phillipsburg Mall where Friendly's has closed, and another location at an abandoned utility bank. Whether you take over the mall spot or the bank location, I think your successful business in Pennsylvania would thrive in Phillipsburg, NJ as well. Thank you for considering my suggestion. Best regards, Chris M.