{"id":245337,"date":"2024-11-08T21:38:58","date_gmt":"2024-11-09T02:38:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.maxim.com\/?p=245337"},"modified":"2024-11-14T07:58:11","modified_gmt":"2024-11-14T12:58:11","slug":"serving-up-the-american-dream","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.maxim.com\/food-drink\/serving-up-the-american-dream\/","title":{"rendered":"How Steak ‘n Shake Is Serving Up The American Dream"},"content":{"rendered":"
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(Steak ‘n Shake)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The American Dream<\/a> is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller.\u2026 regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position.\u201d These remarkable words from James Truslow Adams\u2019 The Epic of America<\/em> have reverberated in the minds of aspirational citizens for more than a century. The American literary icon\u2019s profound passage, which coined the phrase \u201cThe American Dream,\u201d was first published in 1931, just three years before the 1934 founding of Steak \u2018n Shake, the Midwestern burger chain credited with creating the steakburger. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just as Adams crystallized the American Dream in his bestseller for future generations, Steak \u2018n Shake\u2019s franchise partner program<\/a> cultivates it for today\u2019s ambitious Americans. In fact, Sardar Biglari, CEO of Biglari Holdings, owner of Steak \u2018n Shake, captured Adams\u2019 sentiment in his characterization of the program. Biglari says, \u201cBecoming 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.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDoubtless, a good number of our partners will become millionaires,\u201d Biglari continues. \u201cBut make no mistake: We\u2019re not minting millionaires but merely providing the means; they\u2019re earning every penny.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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 \u2018n Shake franchise partner to open a business with money-printing potential. The average Steak \u2018n Shake franchise partner easily earns six figures, with some making upward of $300,000 in their first year alone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Press McDowell, a St. Louis\u2013based franchise partner, shared, \u201cI earned in two months what I made in a year at my previous job.\u201d When asked about the $10,000 one-time expense, McDowell stated, \u201cIt\u2019s the best investment I\u2019ve 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 \u2018n Shake has a small upfront investment. Within the first month, I made that money back. I consider this investment a blessing.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Howard Readus, an Indianapolis-based partner, added, \u201cThis program is unique. There isn\u2019t 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\u2019s hard work, but it pays off in the end.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI wanted to own a restaurant and achieve the American dream,\u201d shared Todd Baumann, also an Indianapolis-based partner. \u201cGetting 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.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But a thriving business requires both the dedication of hard-working operators and a great product. And in the burger market, Steak \u2018n Shake has the best product, according to none other than \u201cNew York Times\u201d- 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s beefy\u2014you immediately taste the beef\u2014followed by the gooey cheese,\u201d Weissman said upon trying Steak \u2018n Shake\u2019s Original Double Steakburger with Cheese in his popular YouTube video, \u201cI Tried Every Fast Food Burger in America.\u201d \u201cYou get a solid crunch from the pickles. It\u2019s acidic, but not too acidic. The best part of the burger is easily the meat\u2014a burger should be tender and melt in your mouth. It should be the filet mignon of American sandwiches.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is the one burger that broke it all up.\u2026 They made a burger that should be a burger,\u201d he concluded for more than 4.7 million viewers and counting. \u201cThat means that Steak \u2018n Shake wins!\u201d It\u2019s only fitting that \u201cThe Best Burger in America\u201d is being served by the restaurant chain that empowers its operators to achieve the American Dream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

$10,000 To Millionaire? <\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Franchise Opportunity Based On Talent Not Money<\/h2>\n\n\n\n