Steak ’n Shake closes after just 4 months
Burger joint is a cult favorite in the Midwest
Midwestern cult favorite Steak ’n Shake has shut down in Campbell.
The restaurant in Lloyd Square near downtown turned out the lights Sunday after four months in business — a fraction of the time spent on building renovations and, before that, negotiations with city officials and neighbors over the site’s suitability for a fast-casual restaurant.
Customers who stopped by found signs on the front door that said: “We are closed. Sorry for your inconvenience. Thank you, Management.”
A father who lived within walking distance stopped by with his young son, noting he thought the restaurant had been “moderately busy” after the initial opening rush. “I don’t know how busy they needed to be to stay afloat,” he said.
Owner Dan Leder confirmed the closure Monday, saying he wished he could have kept the restaurant open. He’s also closing his Daly City location, which was the Bay Area’s first Steak ’n Shake.
That leaves one option for local fans: A Steak ’n Shake counter inside the student union at San Jose State University. That franchise is operated by the college’s Spartan Shops and is open to the public, with business hours there resuming Jan. 22 when students return to campus for the new semester.
Gaining approval in Campbell was a long haul for Leder. In 2015 during the permit process, residents opposed the restaurant, citing worries about more traffic on East Campbell Avenue and in adjacent neighborhoods.
After two resident appeals failed, the council required Leder to pay half the cost of VTA transit passes so employees could ride light rail to work, thus opening up more parking spaces at the shopping center.
Next came extensive renovations to turn the space — formerly home to video and bike stores — into the red, black and white retro-style look for which Steak ’n Shake is known.
The eatery finally opened on Labor Day 2017.
The chain was founded in 1934 in Normal, Illinois, by a businessman named Gus Belt who set out to sell premium steakburgers and handmade milkshakes.
Now headquartered in Indianapolis, the chain boasts hundreds of locations in the Midwest, Southwest and increasingly the West. There are several in Southern California, one in Fresno and two in Nevada.
Peninsula-based businessman Leder was a convert, not someone who grew up in the Steak ’n Shake heartland. But after 15 years as a traveling salesman, he says he became attracted to the expansion opportunity by the company’s extensive menu of offerings beyond burgers, its popularity with customers and its “great” corporate support system.