The owner of six local Steak n’ Shake restaurants is retiring after 48 years with the company.
Gary Leonard owns five restaurants in Springfield and one in Lebanon.
The Leonard family has been involved with Steak n’ Shake for 82 years, starting with Herb Leonard, who went to work for the restaurant in 1939.
He put Gary to work at the age of 14.
He’s selling the local restaurants to Mike and Lisa Stennett, owners of several restaurant franchises, including Steak ’n Shake, in Missouri and Arkansas.
Press Release:
Gary Leonard, owner of six local Steak ’n Shake restaurants, has announced his retirement after 48 years with the company. He will pass the torch and keys to Mike and Lisa Stennett, owners of several restaurant franchises, including Steak ’n Shake, in Missouri and Arkansas.
The Leonard family has been involved with Steak ’n Shake for 82 years, beginning when Herb Leonard went to work for the restaurant in 1939. He went on to become the VP of Operations and officially became a franchisee, with two Springfield restaurants, in 1973. There, the elder Mr. Leonard put his son, Gary, to work at age fourteen. Since graduating from the University of Missouri in 1981, Gary has worked in the family business, ultimately as President. Many years and six restaurants later (five in Springfield and one in Lebanon), Gary Leonard is leaving his family legacy in the capable hands of the Stennett family.
“Mike and Lisa’s experience and their strong ties to the Ozarks makes them the perfect successors to the business and legacy that my family and our team have built,” said Gary Leonard. “We are thrilled to leave our restaurants, customers and employees in such capable hands.”
Like Leonard, Mike Stennett has a long history with Steak ’n Shake, dating to 1968 when his father joined the company. In 1990, the elder Mr. Stennett opened a Steak ‘n Shake restaurant in Branson, where his son, Mike, worked alongside him. Fifteen years later, Mike and his wife Lisa opened their first Steak ’n Shake in Fayetteville, Arkansas, the first of many restaurants they would manage over the years. In addition to Steak ’n Shake locations in Rogers, Arkansas and Joplin, Missouri, the Stennetts own three Dickey’s Barbecue Pit restaurants in Rogers, Lowell, and Fayetteville, Arkansas.
“We thank Gary and his family for being such good stewards of their Steak ’n Shake stores in Springfield,” said Mike Stennett. “We are so excited to embrace this wonderful community.”
Ready to begin retirement, Gary Leonard remains thankful for the many years spent with customers and colleagues.
“We would like to extend our gratitude and appreciation to all the long-time associates we have had the pleasure of working with over the years,” concluded Leonard, “as well as the Springfield community for a lifetime’s worth of memories.”
Steak ‘n Shake was founded in February 1934 in Normal, Illinois. Gus Belt, Steak ‘n Shake’s founder, pioneered the concept of premium burgers and milk shakes.
For over 85 years, the company’s name has been symbolic of its heritage: the word “steak” represents STEAKBURGER and “shake” for hand-dipped MILK SHAKES. Gus was determined to serve his customers the finest burgers and shakes in the business. To prove his point that his burgers were exceptionally prime, he would wheel in a barrel of steaks (including round, sirloin, and T-bones) and grind the meat into burgers right in front of the guests. From this arose the origin of Steak ‘n Shake’s famous slogan, “In Sight It Must Be Right.” And after 85 years, they are continuing the Steak ‘n Shake tradition of serving the country’s best, freshest, and tastiest steakburgers and shakes.
Steak ‘n Shake Operations, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Biglari Holdings Inc.
