Steak 'n Shake — Restaurant in Royal Palm Beach

Really funny story, actually. Last time I went here, the staff was amazing and the manager was screaming like a banshee at them in the back, thinking we couldn't hear, about how worthless they all were. I found that disgusting, had her brought to my table and told her how gross it was that she was treating people like that. My wife and I ended up complaining to corporate, telling them how amazing our server was and how nasty the manager was.

So, the second star is because that manager seems to have been removed, and the General Manager really does care about doing her job and WILL respond promptly to any complaints. (I'm sure she receives a lot of them)

What makes the story funny is that tonight, the MANAGER was amazing and the staff was useless.

We didn't get seated for 15 minutes, and after being seated, we waited around for 20 minutes while our waitress was shooting the breeze with another table, that happened to be Steak n Shake employees. I knew that because they were IN uniform.

After 20 minutes, I approached the Manager and told her what was going on. Only then did we get our order taken, and only then did the waitress start cleaning the FILTHY restaurant. Seriously. I've worked in bars and restaurants on and off for 10 years, high end and low end. This was abhorrent.

30 minutes till MY food came out. My wife's still wasn't done. How you cook chicken tenders, onion rings AND a burger all before you are able to assemble a BLT, I will never know.

My wife's food hits the window about 10 minutes later. No waitress to be found. My wife took her food from the window herself.

I ended up asking for the manager again and was told there wasn't one. I asked the male employee where the Manager I spoke to earlier was and he literally just shrugged his shoulders at me and walked away.

I wasnt even done with my food, but I was so irritated I told the waitress to check us out. She asked how everything was, and I told her it was awful and may have been a better experience if she had waited on our table at all. She told me it was because it was 'Just so busy', when it was literally only two tables in the restaurant. My wife was fairly irate at this point and told her it wasn't busy, she was just too preoccupied with the table her friends were at to pay us any mind.

The waitress became very indignant and started yelling at my wife, at which point I had to tell her that she would not speak to my wife in that manner, and requested a manager again.

Her response was a less polite version of a resounding 'No' at which point I ushered my wife out of this absolute dystopian hellhole,...

We came in, hoping to sit and have a nice meal, then find out there’s no waiters and it’s pretty much all self service. We would’ve left if my mother did not have a walker since it’s hard for her to walk currently. We order at the kiosk and get a receipt. I saw for a second on the screen something about a QR code but it went back to the Home Screen to fast for me to even read it. I find out the QR is for the drinks, which is very inconvenient again, as my mom can not walk that much. The QR scanner does not work all that well, it does not tell you if your scan works or not. I tried filling my drink and it stopped part of the way. Then we find out that what my mom had ordered (a hot dog) they don’t have. Why not have an option on the kiosk that says not available or that they’re out, like others kiosks such as the ones at McDonald’s? Even more, they wanted us to tip, which usually we have no issue, but considering we could’ve got the same thing from the drive thru and not pay for a tip, why would we do that if we’re serving ourselves more or less? The appeal of Steak n Shake was the 1950’s diner feel, but now with the kiosks, it feels nothing more than set dressing. Would never eat inside again, and highly unlikely we’ll ever come back. It’s no wonder it’s so empty inside, when it used to be more crowded even for lunch. Having the scanner by the drink fountain makes the restaurant feel cheap, same with the kiosks. Would recommend going pretty much anywhere else at that point, especially if you’re hoping for dine in service that other similar...

If I’m ever having a negative experience I offer to help with any issues. Food taking too long? Offer to go cook it. Tables gross? Nicely ask for a rag and soapy water to clean it. I’m not trying to be silly, this works in every aspect for me without any confrontation. People are more likely to help you if you’re willing to do THEIR job because it makes them look bad, while simultaneously making you a nice person. I take my 2 boys here often as it is close to home. Honestly the food/service is off and on. One day you can have a wonderful quick meal, then another day have an inconvenient time whether it’s the staff or food, but that’s understandable with every business i.e. good days/bad days. Plus, it’s Steak n Shake, I’m not expecting 5* service lol Luckily, if you have a positive attitude and reflect that, you’re more likely to have a positive experience. If you go in with a horrible judging attitude, expect the same in return. Our visits our mostly pleasant because they know my family are good people so in turn we are treated as such. If the floors/tables are gross, then POLITELY ask someone to clean it. It seems to work just fine for me, especially when I say “Thank you, name of waiter/waitress”. Take control of your situation. Instead of complaining, maybe be confident and inspire people to be better at their jobs. Even someone having the worst day of their lives can be turned by simple...