SELECTIVE ABOUT THE FOOD WE SERVE
Since our first restaurant opened in 1934, we have served quality food, made with care.
At Steak ‘n Shake, we carry on Gus Belt’s legacy of premium burgers and milkshakes. Gus was determined to serve his customers the finest burgers and shakes in the business and we continue the tradition today.
Steak ‘n Shake has taken an intentional approach to animal health and wellbeing. We have a well-defined set of Animal Welfare Standards in place, which serve as rules of engagement for all our suppliers. We only partner with suppliers who commit to meet or exceed our standards of animal welfare.
We regularly assess our standards and collaborate with industry leaders to improve practices. Steak ‘n Shake requires our suppliers to meet the following animal welfare standards:
Beef
Steak ‘n Shake strongly supports the welfare of cattle raised for our supply chain needs. Steak ‘n Shake requires all beef suppliers adhere to the highest animal handling and care standards.
Steak ‘n Shake stands for:
- Humane treatment of cattle throughout their life
- No added hormones
- No animal by-products
Pork
Steak ‘n Shake strongly supports the welfare of pigs raised for our bacon and requires all pork suppliers adhere to the highest animal handling and care standards.
Steak ‘n Shake stands for:
- Humane treatment of pigs including access to the outdoors (if possible) and warmth and security if raised indoors
- Responsible use of antibiotics
- No animal by-products in feed
- No routine needle teeth clipping or grinding
The pigs raised for our supply chain needs are provided adequate feed, water and are raised outdoors (or in open pen settings) with the freedom to turn around and move about freely.
Chicken
Steak ‘n Shake strongly supports the welfare of chickens raised for our supply chain needs. Steak ‘n Shake requires all chicken suppliers adhere to the highest animal handling and care standards.
Steak ‘n Shake stands for:
- Humane treatment of chickens, requiring a cage-free environment that allows the chickens to turn around and flap their wings
- No antibiotics
- No animal by-products in the chicken feed
Steak ‘n Shake supports the Better Chicken Commitment (BCC), which we adopted in 2016. As an active and working group member of Compassion in World Farming (CIWF), Steak ‘n Shake continues to explore ways to improve the health and living conditions of the chickens raised for our supply chain needs.
In 2023, Steak ‘n Shake continued progress towards the BCC targets in the following areas:
- Litter: 95% of our purchases meet the standard for litter
- Lighting: 100% of our purchases meet the standard for the duration of light and dark hours; currently darkness lux target is not met
- Stocking Density: Our stocking density is no more than 7 pounds per sq/ft, which is better than the industry standards, but above the 6 pounds per sq/ft target
- Controlled Atmosphere Stunning: Not met
- Slow Growth Breed: Not met
Steak ‘n Shake acknowledges that there remains room for improvement in our chicken sourcing practices and continues to strive towards the BCC targets to ensure that we source chickens which are treated humanely and respectfully. We pledge to report our progress annually.
Dairy
Steak ‘n Shake stands by the National Milk Producers Federation’s standard of eliminating the practice of tail-docking dairy cows. Steak ‘n Shake also encourages our suppliers to use selective breeding of dairy cows to eliminate the need for dehorning. Additionally, we prohibit rBST/rBGH in our fluid dairy supply.
Enforcement of these Standards
Steak ‘n Shake enforces these standards with our suppliers by:
- Requiring at least annual certifications from existing vendors and conducting audits which include on-site visits to supplier sites to ensure those standards are met.