Selling Steakburgers

A short insider history of Steak n Shake by Robert P. Cronin, who ran the chain as CEO through the 1970s. The subtitle is the thesis: the book is about how a regional burger-and-milkshake operation built and then held a service culture — “In Sight It Must Be Right” — across a growing store base, and what it took to keep the standard from eroding as the company expanded and changed hands.

Why it’s on the list: One of the 46 books @mastersinvest read in 2025, and a good example of the list’s centre of gravity: a small, obscure, company-published operating history rather than a bestseller.

Where I saw it: @mastersinvest’s “2025 Reading … so far” list, August 20, 2025. The full 46-title list is transcribed on 2025 Reading So Far… (tweet).

Connections

• 2025 Reading So Far… (tweet) — the list this came from.