Cheryl V. Jackson|Indianapolis Star
With years in a ministry focused on youth and homeless outreach, Rick Weaver’s helped to feed souls.
His work as a church pastor was fulfilling, but with three daughters and future expenses looming, he looked for more lucrative work.
Then he saw a sign — one that many have seen: a billboard advertising Steak ‘n Shake franchises.
He checked it out.
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Now, Weaver is feeding families, downtown workers and conventioneers.
He’s the owner of the downtown Indianapolis Steak ‘n Shake, 101 W. Maryland St., which reopened its dining room after a nearly $1 million remodel in June. The restaurant had been closed to dine-in service since the beginning of the pandemic.
When the dining room reopened, it did so with lots of changes, including self-serve ordering kiosks and fountain drink stations.
The company spentabout five to 10 times more than it did at other stores in the 500-unit chain that is seeing all of its dining rooms reopen without servers.
Weaver took over in November after going through eight months of training, part of the steakburger and milkshake chain’s conversion to a franchise partnership model with a store owner running each restaurant. Operators invest $10,000 and get 50% of the profits.
Going into partnership
The company received 35,000 applications for the partnership but accepted only 86 —an acceptance rate of .25%.
“It takes talent along with the passion to serve others, a rare combination that is woven into the character of each individual we accept,” Sardar Biglari, CEO and chairman of chainowner Biglari Holdings, wrote to investors in 2021. "An owner-operator of Steak 'n Shake harbors a deep sense of identification with his or her restaurant and understands well why it pays to be productive."
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Weaver's is a flagship store – part of the chain's expansion in the early '90s – that can be one of the highest producers during conventions and sporting and entertainment events downtown. It also is one of the brand's busiest for delivery.
Weaver, 41, grew up in West Lafayette on the campus of Purdue University, where both of his parents were professors. He studied organizational leadership and supervision, graduating in 2004 and worked in urban ministry. He moved to Indianapolis in 2013.
The associate pastor of Nehemiah Bible Church, Weaver, who with his wife Jackie, has daughters ages 15, 13 and 9, has worked at parachurch organizations, Christian faith-based entities engaging in social welfare and evangelism, as well.
He was city life director at Central Indiana Youth for Christ, a family life pastor at Academy Christian Church Westside, and an employee at CityTeam Ministries and Outreach Inc.
“I love the purpose of that but I have three daughters and that doesn't pay for weddings and colleges,” he said. “You see signs. Billboard signs all over the city that talk about becoming a franchise owner of Steak ‘n Shake."
“So I thought I’d give it a go.”
He refinanced his family’s near east side home and went into the restaurant business.
Pulling from the ministry
Weaverstarted the journey with Steak ‘n Shake with some familiar faces beside him.
Amongthe nearly 40 employees are people he met during his time as youth pastor and working with homeless outreach.
Restaurant managerGrace Doss, 21, is one of them.
Doss was 15 when she accepted an invitation from a friend to attend church whereWeaver was the youth pastor and hosted young people for breakfast with his family beforeattending services together.
She became part of a leadership trainingteam that would coordinate activities for younger children. She was baptized by Weaver and they developed a father-daughter relationship.
Dossjumped at the chance to join him at Steak 'n Shake.
“I thought it would be really cool to work for somebody who I respect a lot. He’s like my father. I know I can trust him,” Doss said. “He’s really motivating.”
Doss began as an associate and worked her way up to shift manager and became the restaurant manager in July 2021.
“Not only is it really cool to be able to hang out with my dad at work, but Ialsolike giving customers a good experience,” Doss said. “You never know who's having a bad day and you're just being cheerful and nice; it just changes somebody's perspective on something.”
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Not everyone at the restaurant isa newbie.
A stabilizing factor in the transition has been general manager Dorothy Mize,a Steak ‘n Shake employee for 35 years, 20 of them at the downtown location.
Mizewas one of three employees to stay on from when the store was corporate-owned. She became general manager in February 2020.
She has taken to the serverless model and other changes.
“We don't have staffing issues as far as not having enough servers on the floor,” she said. “The guests seem to be adjusting to it pretty well. That was the most important thing; making sure our guests are feeling the hospitality. They can go anywhere and get a burger. You’ve got to make them feel welcome.”
Changes and memories
Customers have also been understanding as the location has gotten rid of its $4 meals and happy hour half-off specials, she said. Those moves were needed to mitigate operations with higher rents and labor costs in the downtown area.
It’s still one of the most affordable spots for family dining downtown, where bills can run into hundreds of dollars. The average check for a meal with a shake at the Steak ‘n Shake location is about $12.
Mizestarted at Steak ‘n Shake as a dishwasher when she was 16 in 1987.
“It’s the only job I’ve ever had. I’ve never even filled out another application,” she said. “I’m very passionate about this company. I wholeheartedly believe in our brand."
The downtown location also meant a lot to Weaver, even before ownership. He actually requested the store when pursuing a partnership with the company.
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“I loved Steak ‘n Shake my whole life growing up. I have so many memories of bringing my three daughters to this downtownstore, as well as the inner-city youth from the neighborhood. This was our go-to spot,” he said.
“I have tons of picturesof my daughters in here with their Steak ‘n Shake hats on in this very restaurant.Who knew I would one day take over as owner?”
Steak ‘n Shake, 101 W. Maryland St., 317-634-8703, is open Monday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 12 a.m. Online ordering is available at steaknshake.com.
Contact IndyStar reporter Cheryl V. Jackson at cheryl.jackson@indystar.com or 317-444-6264. Follow her on Twitter: @cherylvjackson.
