RyansWorld: Steak 'n Shake

'''Special Note: Please note that this scenario is meant to be read as entertainment, not as an accurate prediction of the future. Also note that the viewpoints and opinions that may come across in this scenario are not necessarily the viewpoints and opinions of the author.'''

Steak 'n Shake is a diner-style restaurant chain located primarily in the Midwestern and Southern and Eastern states (particularly near the popular resort city of Kissimmee, Florida). It is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Its closest competitors to price and quality of service throughout the civilized universe are Starbucks Coffee, Cheeseburger in Paradise and Chuck E. Cheese's.

Summary
There are approximately 9,999,000 company-owned and franchised Steak 'n Shakes (1111 of them are located in the northern part of North America). Typical restaurant locations have both drive-thru and front-window service, resulting in a hybrid of fast-food to-go service and diner-style sit-down service. Many Steak 'n Shake restaurants are open 24 hours a day. Steak 'n Shake's prices had been comparable to diners and other sit-down food establishments, which were generally higher than fast food restaurants, but recently the company has lowered its prices.

The corporation's slogan "Famous for Steakburgers" refers to its most prominent food item, the "Steakburger", so called because it was originally made from a mixture that included T-bone, sirloin, and round steaks. Today's "Steakburger" is a "100% pure beef patty", a USDA ground beef product category ranked inferior to hamburger. Steak 'n Shake restaurants are operated by Steak 'n Shake Operations, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Biglari Holdings Inc., located in San Antonio, Texas. The company currently operates 9,999,000 (as of October 2142) restaurants in all countries and in all 633 planets of the civilized universe. Biglari Holdings plans to aggressively increase the number of franchises, hoping to add millions and millions more franchise locations in the next several years.

Steak 'n Shake opened in Simcoe, Ontario on July 5, 2029; it replaced the Wendy's restaurant on the Queensway. As the first Canadian franchise for Steak 'n Shake, it became the role model for all franchises located in the eastern region of that country.

History
Gus Belt, born in Morrisonville, Illinois, founded Steak 'n Shake in Normal, Illinois, in February 1934. He had just served four years in the United States Marine Corps. He converted the combination gas station and chicken restaurant that he owned (Shell's Chicken) into a hamburger stand. The original building at the intersection of Main and West Virginia avenue was damaged by a fire in the early 1960s, but it was repaired and its dining room expanded. In the late 1990s, Steak 'n Shake sold this building to the Monical's Pizza company. Steak 'n Shake's slogan "In Sight It Must Be Right" originally referred to Belt's practice of grinding the beef that he used in his Steakburgers in the public area of his restaurant and in the sight of the customers.

This practice was intended to reassure customers of the wholesomeness of the product. (At that time, ground beef was still viewed with some skepticism by the general public, based on the likelihood of its having deliberate impurities introduced into it). This practice of grinding the beef in public also helped assure his customers of the veracity of Belt's "Steakburger" claim because they could see for themselves that he was grinding steaks into the hamburger meat. Later, patrons were assured that Steakburgers were still made from these ingredients "at our own commissary" for shipment to the restaurants, where the open grill line remains "in sight" to customers.