Steak 'n Shake — Restaurant in Chattanooga

Hands down worst steak n shake Ive ever stepped foot in. I am a huge fan of steak n shake me my wife my son and daughter all love the burgers, shakes and the cheese fries are the beat! On this day it was just me my wife and son though. This particular steak n shake was a major let down. Management was terrible could barely explain why i was charged full price for all of my meals when i had a coupon for each meal. before that the waiter rang in my meal completely wrong from the start and thats after we waited 20 minutes for him to take the order of a party of 15-20(which im a understanding person and when your busy sometimes your best is all you can do and i get that so i have patience at times like these) but when he took their drink order collected all the drinks and made 3 trips to the table with the drinks instead of saying ill give you a minute to over look the menu after he finished handing out the drinks (like were told everytime at every place we go) he takes the huge party order then goes and puts it in the computer BEFORE he took our food order. Meanwhile were sitting there still havent ordered and empty glasses. When he came to our table i clearly told him i wanted the 5.99 double that comes with fries a milkshake and the side salad might i say i was quite irritated at this point.(i also had a coupon showing what the meal came with and price). Our food shows up after another 25 minutes has gone by and well. My burger is smoothered in onions which i didnt want and also stated. I got no side salad or milkshake my wifes cajun burger looked like my 6 year old had made it sloppy greasy and falling apart due to the soggy grease bun my sons hot dog was cold. And not just a little it was like they took it out a fridge warmed it in a microwave for 10 seconds sliced it and served it and none of is got the cheese sauce for our fries. The manager ends up bringing the cheese sauce and to ask if were happy and needed anything else. Wen i brought up how our service was tonight the manager said she will make my kids meal free in hopes to help "satisfy" the customer. 2.79 by the way is how much a kids meal is. After a brief debate with the manager who barely spoke english clear enough to hold a conversation i walked out leaving 25 dollars on a bill i probably shouldn't have paid for to me due to the poor service poor food quality and the attitude i was given when i said i had a bad experience. I was treated like i was wrong for not being happy with the service i was given. We are gonna have to stay clear of there for awhile. Until they clean up the staff and get back to the good ol steak n shake we all love we wont...

Late last night we decided to stop at our local Steak ’n Shake, right off Gunbarrel Road by the mall. This location is almost always busy, but we chose to dine in and place our order at the counter. The young lady taking our order started with that tired, end-of-shift energy, but by the end she had warmed up and was friendly and engaging — a nice turnaround that set the tone for the meal.

Food We ordered Garlic Double Steakburgers, fries, and onion rings. The burgers were mouthwatering, cooked well, and hit the spot. I’ve always liked the thin shoestring fries, while she prefers the onion rings — and we both agreed, we always want a few more of those rings. I went with a peanut butter cup shake (fantastic), and she ordered a small Oreo Cookie shake that gave me some real FOMO after a taste. Food was hot, fresh, and exactly what Steak ’n Shake does best.

Service Our drinks and food were delivered right to our table — a service touch you don’t always see in a fast-food setting. The rest of the staff we interacted with were friendly as well, which made the visit feel more like casual dining than quick service.

Atmosphere & Cleanliness Here’s where the experience took a hit. While we easily found a seat, the dining area was due for a cleaning — trays needed clearing, and tables could have used a wipe-down. That’s understandable on a busy night, but the bigger issue is long-term upkeep. The ceiling vents are caked in dust, the tiles show years of neglect, and the seating is cracked and worn. It’s not just last night’s mess — it’s a need for deep cleaning and some basic repairs that have been overlooked for far too long.

It’s disappointing to see reviews from years back mentioning the same issues, especially when the fixes (new tiles, cleaning vents, replacing worn seating) could be done in a few hours of sales. It reflects poorly on management, not the staff.

Overall Steak ’n Shake still delivers great burgers, shakes, and friendly service. But this location is overdue for some care from upper management. The food and people deserve a better setting than what they’re working...

On January 29, 2024, I went to the Gunbarrel Steak ‘N Shake location. After ordering my food, I noticed that most of the tables were filthy. I finally found a clean booth to sit at; while waiting for my food, the cashier began wiping all of the empty tables with a dry rag. He had not sprayed any soap, water, bleach, or disinfectant on the rag; he only scrubbed the areas on the table where you could see spills or food. As he was scrubbing the tables with a dry rag, he began having a conversation on his cell phone and to my surprise, he began putting the chairs on the tables like it was closing time. It was actually 9:00pm and the location is supposed to stay open until 12AM. I thought maybe he was gonna take advantage of the slow period to mop the floor, but no he kept putting chairs on the table and because he was holding his phone in one hand, he used the floor and his shoe to assist him in lifting the chairs to go on the table. Also, he did not wipe any of the chairs down before putting them on the tables that he had just wiped with a dry rag. The same dry rag for several tables. The burger was good, but the top bun was extremely cold like they had just taken it out of the refrigerator. The fries are extremely thin and the fry portions could be improved, as I received very little fries. Corporate and upper management needs to act fast to save this location from closure. The employees need to be retrained, as many of them seem to be young or teenagers that are not taking life seriously, unaware that their carelessness is resulting in the closure of companies that provide jobs and services to so many people. Also, once I finished my meal and headed out of the restaurant, I was unable to leave because the door was locked. I had to unlock the door, so I could exit the restaurant. Again, it was not closing time and this is a fire hazard. This establishment has an opportunity to maintain a strong clientele base, especially at night when so many establishments are no longer staying open late since the onset of...