On the Fourth of July weekend, there's nothing like a cheeseburger, fries and milkshake. Unfortunately, you won't find that at most Cincinnati-area Steak 'n Shake restaurants, because they have been closed since the end of March.
Ceil Schlosser wonders if her local Steak 'n Shake, on Fields Ertel Road in Deerfield Township, will ever reopen.
"We didn't hear anything about this one shutting down," she said, "until we went to go and it was closed."
This location is one of 11 Cincinnati-area Steak 'n Shakes that are "temporarily" closed, according to the company's website.
A banner says the restaurant is now a "franchise opportunity," while a sign on the door says "in the meantime we hope you visit one of our other locations."
But the problem Schlosser says, is that there are no longer any nearby locations to her Mason home.
"The one in Fairfield was one of the last ones near us to close," she said.
What is the company planning?
We were unable to reach anyone at the company's Indianapolis headquarters (possibly because it was the day before the Fourth of July holiday).
But Steak 'n Shake CFO Thomas Murray recently said in an email to national restaurant publications "we close locations to prepare them for franchise partners. Some of the units have a franchisee in process of taking over the unit."
Steak 'n Shake has not said if and when the 40-plus closed locations will reopen, or if it even has found a new franchise operator.
That means Schlosser doesn't know when she'll be able to use her $25 gift card.
The good news for fans of those steak burgers: four Steak 'n Shake locations remain open in the Greater Cincinnati region.
You will find restaurants still open in:
- Eastgate
- Miamisburg
- Florence (Foltz Drive only. Mt Zion is closed)
- Northern Kentucky University campus
- Lawrenceburg, IN
When we called, a manager told us Schlosser's gift card is still good at the Kentucky stores, if she doesn't mind a 40 minute drive from Mason.
As always, don't waste your money.
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