Steak ’n Shake

Y&L partnered with this storied “steak”burger chain when they had just over a hundred restaurants, and provided every marketing service possible for eighteen years. Company leaders (by their own account) leveraged the ads to grow past five hundred restaurants.

From menus to chili pepper bottles to placemats, P.O.P., online, magazine, newspaper, radio, high school yearbooks, annual reports and, of course, TV ads, we handled every aspect of Steak ’n Shake’s public face. Every piece of material conveyed the same sense of a scrappy, better-than-fast-food American institution with a healthy disrespect for institutions and a willingness to surprise: and the key was consistency, convincing diners that Steak ’n Shake really was like that (maintaining that consistency even as the campaign was tested by and, subsequently, enthusiastically supported by 3 CEOs and 4 CMOs). The growth curve is as close to vertical as a medium-sized restaurant chain is likely to see, and more than one of Steak ’n Shake’s CEOs is on record crediting that growth to the advertising.

For a meandering tour through over 200 advertising segments, check out our Steak ’n Shake YouTube Channel.

Steak ’n Shake - Shake Reflection Steak ’n Shake - Frisco Melt Callouts Steak ’n Shake - Order to Order Steak ’n Shake - Not This OneSteak ’n Shake - Wind Machine Steak ’n Shake - Coconut Suggestion BoxSteak ’n Shake - Pepper Sauce BottlesSteak ’n Shake - Something ChocolateSteak ’n Shake - Is Somebody There?Steak ’n Shake - From Inside Your MouthSteak ’n Shake - Atmosphere Steak ’n Shake - Lovely Ride HomeSteak ’n Shake - Hence the ’n ShakeSteak ’n Shake - Nothing’s Changed Steak ’n Shake - Avast Ye MouthSteak ’n Shake - Weak Willed VegetariansSteak ’n Shake - Tofu

Other Work