Pros

If you enjoy working with people, Steak N Shake (like most restaurants), can be challenging and fun. Two years ago, Steak N Shake was a great company to work for. It is entirely possible for crew members to move up within the company, and helping someone in their professional growth is a great experience.

Cons

Feedback is given in a nasty, not constructive way. Corporate inspections have become nearly impossible to pass, and these high stress inspections happen almost every month. Coupon drops and promotions happen without warning to prepare and staff properly. It's made pretty clear that your job is on the line everyday, for any slight variance in "key store metrics". I signed a contract for a 50 hour work week and usually work 70, and normally still can't manage to get my work done because GM's have to work the busiest shifts, and during non peak hours you barely get to have any crew in the store. We are expected to run lower labor % than prior years even though sales are down and minimum wage has gone up. General Managers are expected to be available 24/7 even during days off, and have to work an "11 point schedule" - basically you have to work weekends and nights even though you have the most seniority in your store. It makes a stressful job extra difficult because you never have time to go to the gym, see your family/ friends, or have quality of life. Upper management and corporate employees treat those of us in operations disdainfully, and have no gratitude or appreciation for how hard we work. It's almost impossible to bonus and the pay isnt that great for the amount of work that is expected.

Advice to Senior Management

Cut more of your corporate overhead. You pay people over half a million dollars per year to manage systems that don't work and are hard to use (ERS). Stop creating positions for your buddies, the company can't afford it. Put more shift managers in your stores and give your GM's time to do all the auditing ,coaching, and paperwork you heap on them. Realize that you need minimum staffing guidelines on weekends and peak meal periods so you still give good service. Stop with the insanely hard QSC inspections all the time. It has become a contest to see who can come into the stores and be the toughest and most demoralizing, nothing we do is EVER good enough. Upper management is actually PROUD of how nasty they are. Say thanks to your managers and general managers once in awhile instead of treating us like lazy slackers. Be friendly when you come into our stores, if we treated our employees the way you treat us, we probably wouldn't have very many.