Steak ‘n Shake CEO dishes on war against Cracker Barrel and taking on woke: ‘Customers want authenticity’

Stars and stripes truthful towering they’re hardly legal, Bitcoin burgers, and MAHA-approved fries — Steak ‘n Shakes’ red, white, and bluish blitz is portion of its ngo to Make Americana Great Again.

The patriotic push is besides an hold of nan Iranian-born CEO’s ain scruples, he tells The Post successful an exclusive interview.

“American values and traditions? Of people we are proud of that. Who wouldn’t be?” Sardar Biglari, nan elusive Steak ‘n Shake boss, told The Post.

“[My] family came [here] pinch nothing. I started pinch thing but an idea. America is nan champion state connected nan planet. You tin make dreams go reality truthful agelong arsenic you put nan effort in.

“Business conscionable happens to beryllium what I emotion doing,” nan CEO said.

His institution is presently getting plentifulness of attraction for its trolling of competitor Cracker Barrel — and it’s not precisely a lighthearted slinging of mashed potatoes betwixt them.

Biglari has many times slammed nan rustic nutrient chain’s $700 cardinal glow-up this summertime wherever it ditched mascot Uncle Herschel for a sterile, text-only logo and modernist edifice interiors — quickly igniting a nationalist firestorm which tanked nan banal and forced a hasty retreat backmost to its rustic roots.

“Management knew nan customer guidelines wouldn’t attraction for nan changes, but it did them anyway. They sought to destruct nan psyche of nan halfway marque and switch it pinch thing very different successful a long-shot bet to summation a caller demographic,” Biglari said of nan fiasco.

The redesign bet coincided pinch nan institution pumping resources into respective new, trendier ventures including an urban-centric trade cocktail startup called Punch Bowl Social, which yet revenge for bankruptcy successful 2020, and an artisanal muffin shop.

Biglari saw it coming, sounding nan siren a twelvemonth anterior by calling nan rebrand “obvious folly.”

“What nan Company has been doing pinch its remodel programme is embarking connected a strategy to undifferentiate itself — and astatine a precocious cost,” he wrote.

The logic Biglari cares truthful overmuch astir a institution he sees arsenic his title is because he has a liking (no shake) successful it.

His company, Biglari Holdings, owns 3% of Cracker Barrel — and he’s waged 7 proxy battles since 2011 to onshore a spot connected nan board, each clip unsuccessful.  Members person derided him arsenic an “activist investor” and “self-interested.”

He’s sewage Steak ‘n Shake progressive too, trading red, MAGA-style hats that read, “Make Frying Oil Tallow Again,” “Fire Cracker Barrel CEO,” and “Biglari Was Right About Everything,”

He’s besides utilizing advertisement abstraction to troll Cracker Barrel, pinch 1 reference “Fire nan CEO” imposed connected nan grounded caller logo.

The CEO successful question, Julie Felss Masino, isn’t amused.

On Tuesday, astatine an investing convention successful New York, Masino fired back telling attendees she had luncheon pinch her investor astatine a Cracker Barrel successful 2023 and “Mr. Biglari’s playbook…is making galore misinformed statements.”

However, Biglari, 48, has a way grounds of success.

He acquired Steak ‘n Shake successful 2008 erstwhile it was nether terrible financial distress—losing $30 cardinal annually.

The pursuing twelvemonth nan burger associated did a one-eighty, generating a regular profit of $100,000. Later it deed financial problem successful nan aftermath of nan COVID-19 pandemic. To bounce back, nan edifice produced a leaner, franchise-heavy model.

“When you are turning astir a business, you are a sculptor. When Michelangelo sculpted, he said he saw nan angel successful nan marble and carved until he group him free,” Biglari said.

“It is simply a elemental philosophy. And our customers want authenticity, value products, awesome service, and reasonable prices. Nothing complicated,” he added.

“Sophistication lies successful doing nan elemental things very well.”

One of those things is celebrating nan US. Steak ‘n Shake  —founded successful 1934 on Route 66  in Illinois — announced it will instal the tallest and largest American emblem legally allowed by section ordinance extracurricular each of its 400 stores.

In immoderate locations, those colossal flags lumbering successful nan breeze will measurement betwixt 30×60 feet and 40×80 feet, and placed connected 130-foot-tall poles.

“Every Steak n Shake is getting nan tallest and biggest American flag that section governments will allow! Steak n Shake proudly supports American values and traditions,” nan burger associated posted connected X connected Oct. 4.

The mean US emblem group usually alert extracurricular of their location is 3×5 feet connected a 20 ft rod while flags flown complete nan Capitol are 8×12 feet.

In May, Steak ‘n Shake besides began accepting Bitcoin astatine its US locations and this period launched a constricted version Bitcoin burger to celebrate.

Biglari is besides successful nan unsocial position of being a accelerated nutrient tycoon successful bully graces pinch wellness and quality services caput RFK Jr., who swung by a Texas Steak ‘n Shake successful March to observe nan institution ditching seed oils for beef tallow frying.

“We’re large fans of MAHA and making America patient again. We want MAHA supporters and parents everyplace to consciousness bully astir taking their kids to Steak ‘n Shake,” Biglari told The Post.

The burger leader started his first institution astatine property 18, an net work supplier called INTX.net which he sold for an undisclosed magnitude successful 1999.

He utilized nan proceeds to put successful Friendly’s Ice Cream and eating concatenation Western Sizzlin Corp., becoming CEO of Western Sizzlin successful 2006.

Today Biglari calls his San Antonio-based Biglari Holdings a “museum of businesses.” He besides owns lipid companies and millions of shares successful accelerated nutrient concatenation Jack successful nan Box and luxury car marque Ferrari.

He only knew 2 words successful English erstwhile he came to nan US arsenic a child: “hi” and “bye,” he tod The Post.

Born successful Tehran 2 years earlier nan Islamic Revolution, his father, Ken Biglari, was a brigadier wide successful nan Imperial Iranian Army nether nan Shah. The elder Biglari was imprisoned by nan caller government, but his woman successfully negotiated pinch nan situation guards for his release.

At property seven, while nether location arrest, Biglari escaped pinch his family nether nan screen of nan nighttime and fled to nan US, he told The Post.

They settled successful San Antonio successful 1984 and started a business importing Persian rugs. In opposition to his father, who ever maintained a debased profile, nan restaurateur now installs his signature, “By Biglari,” connected Steak ‘n Shake signage and nan nameplate of his men’s magazine, Maxim, which he acquired successful 2016.

Biglari told The Post he hopes his company’s caller franchise exemplary will springiness group from humble beginnings, for illustration himself, an opportunity to flourish by moving his restaurants.

“I americium a believer successful meritocracy. That is nan strategy we implemented astatine Steak ‘n Shake, pinch awesome success,” he said.

“We are building a business astir nan rule of adjacent opportunity. At Steak ‘n Shake, we are building a franchise strategy that is designed for those agelong connected expertise but short connected capital. Our strategy of meritocracy is astir placing nan correct group into positions of powerfulness and ownership.”