Shopping Centers Today is the news magazine of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC)
Issue link: https://sct.epubxp.com/i/62026
RET AILING TODA Y Signature dish STEAK 'N SHAKE IS TARGETING FOOD COURTS WITH A NEW, SMALLER FORMAT By Joe DiStefano L 72 SCT / MAY 2012 reference to, all those places like Johnny Rockets, all those places that are paying a burlesque tribute to an older ideal of service, honest product and so forth." The Steakburger is the linchpin of ITTLE ABOUT STEAK 'N SHAKE has changed since its founding, when Augustus H. Belt converted Shell's Chicken, a restaurant–gas station in Normal, Ill., to a hamburger joint some 78 years ago. Then, as now, the Steakburger — so named for its meaty components of round, sirloin and T-bone — is cooked by "smashing" a ball of ground beef on a fiery-hot griddle with a spatula, thus sealing in a caramelized flavor and creating a lacy fringe of crisp edges around the circumference. Back in 1934 Belt would wheel in a barrel of steaks and grind them right in front of his customers — hence the ori- gin of the Indianapolis-based chain's slo- gan, "In Sight It Must Be Right." Today the meat is no longer ground in sight of the customers, but that slogan and a logo that evokes 1950s car culture and bears the words "Famous for Steakburg- ers" remain unchanged. Such reverence for days gone by is among the reasons for the brand loyalty that Steak 'n Shake enjoys, says food writer Josh Ozersky, author of The Ham- burger: A History. "It's not a retro thing, like they're playing up to some idea of the '50s," Ozersky said. "They are the '50s — they're what everything else is in the chain's success, according to Ozer- sky. "They've got over 400 units, and they all make perfect hamburgers — the real epitome of what the traditional ham- burger was," he said. "People love them more than the millions of other QSRs [quick-service restaurants] put together." Now Steak 'n Shake, which has achieved cultlike status among ham- burger cognoscenti and those with an appetite for nostalgia, is looking to a new growth driver: shopping centers. This year the company introduced Steak 'n Shake Signature, a concept designed with the food court in mind. The first of these opened near New York City's Times Square in January. This smaller format — 500 to 800 square feet for food NEW YORK CITY'S FIRST STEAK 'N SHAKE OPENED IN JANUARY.