As a general rule, I like to seek out local restaurants over fast food chains when I’m road-tripping. But, sometimes, I have to break that rule. Especially when that fast food chain is also a local legend. The Route 66 Steak ‘n Shake in Springfield, Missouri is a chain, yes, but it is also a historic landmark.
Steak ‘n Shake was founded in February 1934 in Normal, Illinois. The founder, Gus Belt, had a vision of serving the best tasting and freshest steakburgers and hand-dipped milkshakes around. And he met his goal. Today there are more than 400 Steak ‘n Shake restaurants serving fresh steakburgers and thick milkshakes around the country.
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The Route 66 Steak ‘n Shake (also known as the St. Louis Street Steak ‘n Shake) was built in 1962. In 2012, the year of its 50th anniversary, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Most of the business’s character has remained unchanged since its opening day. The one-story concrete building features architecture unique to the time. It has a flat roof and is faced with porcelain tiles and plate glass windows.
A red and white striped banner that wraps around the building features the word “TAKHOMASAK.” The made-up mashup stands for “Take Home a Sack,” one of the four ways you can enjoy your Steak ‘n Shake meal: in your car, at a table, by the counter, or you can “TakHomaSak” and take your meal to go. Above that overhang, between two strips of glowing neon, more words and slogans encircle the building: “Famous for Steakburgers,” “Genuine Chili,” “Tru-Flavor Shakes,” “Grinding Only Gov’t Inspected Beef for Steakburgers,” “In Sight it Must Be Right,” and “We Protect Your Health.”
On top of the building find a glowing neon and bulb marquee with the stylized “Steak n Shake” above the line “It’s a Meal.”
Across the parking lot is another giant neon freestanding sign that lights up the street below. The double-sided sign features the restaurant’s name twice. Once glowing in neon-outlined letters on top of another proclamation of “It’s a Meal.” The other on a back-lit sign featuring an illustration of the logo. Going through both is an inverted triangle of shining bulbs. Attached to the base is a Hampton Hotels Save-a-Landmark sign that gives a brief history of the location.
If you’re visiting Springfield or traveling Route 66 through Missouri, stop at the Route 66 Steak ‘n Shake to dine in on a steakburger, fries, and milkshake. Or “TakHomaSak” to your motel (I recommend Rockwood Motor Court or the Best Western Route 66 Rail Haven hotel).
Photos of the Route 66 Steak ‘n Shake in Springfield, Missouri
