Steak 'n Shake 3 with Evan Susser

"Steak 'n Shake 3 with Evan Susser" is Episode 82 of *Doughboys*, hosted by Mike Mitchell and Nick Wiger. "Steak 'n Shake 3 with Evan Susser" was released on December 15, 2016.

## Synopsis

Friend of the podcast Evan Susser (*Wedding Crashers 2*, *Sonic the Hedgehog*) returns for the 'boys third visit to a third different iteration of Steak 'n Shake, the midwest chain splintered into multiple parallel concepts by the owner Sardar Biglari. A discussion about the direction of the podcast turns contentious. Plus, a *Rogue One* edition of Dinner and a Movie.

## Nick's intro

1000 years in the future, if current trends continue, scientists estimate global sea levels will have risen nearly seven meters, a cataclysmic event that, according to astrophysicist Stephen Hawking, would mean the doom of humanity, absent the colonization of space.

And these pessimistic extrapolations for Earth in 3016 may prove true, based on the events of 2016, when Americans elected as President a man who believes global warming to be a hoax perpetrated by the Chinese.

The endlessly despairing news of 2016 came on like the overwhelming floods of future millenia: a rash of global terror attacks, an endemic of domestic hate crimes, an Olympic Games in Brazil overshadowed by the Zika virus and a heavily politicized impeachment, a gutter brawl of a U.S. Presidential election between the two least popular candidates in history, and perhaps most troubling, the death of beloved gorilla Harambe at the hands of a Cincinnati Zoo sniper.

And this podcast made some history of its own: the contentious Tournament of Chompions which crowned In-N-Out as the world's best burger; the disastrous Doughlympic-Susser Games; Rocklobsterfest - our month-long tour of Red Lobster; we saw fifty new episodes and four new entrants to the prestigious Platinum Plate Club.

As we wrap up a momentous year in world events, and perhaps a more momentous year in *Doughboys*, we bring back an old friend to revisit an old favorite.

This week on *Doughboys*, we return once again to Steak 'n Shake.

## Fork rating

This is the third trip to Steak 'N Shake (all with Evan Susser). The first time they went to one in Santa Monica, where they were surprised to learn it was a "Biglari" version, and not a full-menu Steak 'N Shake. The next time they drove all the way to Victorville, CA so they could review a full Steak 'N Shake. On that trip, they put Steak 'N Shake in the Platinum Plate Club.

In between those first two trips, Steak 'N Shake also competed in the Burger Brawl, where it lost to Five Guys.

This episode also reviews a Biglari Steak 'N Shake, though it had a fuller menu than the original one (albeit still limited).

* Chili 5-Way
* Butterfinger Milkshake
* Cheddar Cheesy Steakburger [Natalie's order]
* Cheese Fries [Natalie's order]
 Mike Mitchell
* Thin 'n Crispy Fries
* Snickers Milkshake
 Evan Susser
* Snickers Milkshake

Thus, Steak 'N Shake was removed from the Platinum Plate Club, with quite a drastic drop in scores.

Susser also calls Steak 'N Shake's customer service to complain.

## Dinner and a Movie 🍽️ 🎥

What is the perfect dinner to have before a specific movie?

This week, the film was *Rogue One: A Star Wars Story*, so their food choices to eat during it are all *Star Wars*-related.

	+ jar of Vanilla Pudding and Wafers

## The Blow-Up

Nick and Mitch sort of break down in this episode, probably frustrated at having spent so much time with each other, their inherent personality clashes, and needing to figure out how to work together as a team since the show was starting to settle into a real thing. The show had been going on for about a year and a half at this point, and certainly the last few months of episodes, they'd been bickering a lot. It came to a head here in this episode, as Susser seems to be sort of both instigator (he plays clips from past episodes of them arguing) and mitigator.

They momentarily decide that this will be the final episode, until with Susser's help, they decide the argument was healing and they both can move forward if they work together better.

Unrelated, but to note, Yusong also calls in with a message from France (he had interned with the Doughboys, and then returned to school and went on a program abroad; he will rejoin the show officially later). He explains that fries are eaten with mayo in France; that in French supermarkets, they have smoked salmon cold cuts; and French youths like McDonald's.

## #hashtags

* #DuttonsDong
* #PrePulp vs. #PostPulp
* #IRuinedMyChristmas

## *Sonic The Hedgehog* questions

* Is Dr. Robotnik the main villain?
* Can you confirm the wedding they are crashing is between Sonic and Amy?

## The Feedbag

While I don't think this is necessarily as unethical as, say, Papa John, it should be noted that Coca-Cola's dominance in the American and world market comes because it won the World War II contract after an immense amount of dubious lobbying by the Coca-Cola corporation; a great business move, yes, but seemingly a bit of war profiteering.

Every GI had access to Coke and they brought their taste for it back home and it replaced Pepsi as the number one pop. (Sorry, I'm from Oklahoma and we call it 'pop'.) The power of wartime food can't be overstated. My grandfather who fought at the Battle Of The Bulge grew an affinity for canned meats like Spam and it later became a staple of our decided non-Hawaiian family.

## Plugs and Drops and Things

 * Ray Parker Jr. "Ghostbusters"
* Dave Matthews "Baby"
* some other music too I think
 Dave Matthews "Crash Into Me"

## Related Episodes

* 31. Steak 'n Shake 2
* 42. Burger Brawl: Mild Card Round
* 82. **Steak 'n Shake 3**
* 233. Steak 'n Shake 4
* 281. Steak 'n Shake 5 (sort of)
* 82. **Steak 'n Shake 3**
* 233. Steak 'n Shake 4
* 281. Steak 'n Shake 5
* 330. Monty's Good Burger
* 379. Shake Shack 3
* 427. The Musso & Frank Grill
* 56. Jollibee (Cereal)
* 70. Dave & Buster's (Portion Bread)
* 82. Steak 'n Shake 3 (Dinner and a Movie)
* RB. Rogueboys
* DD44. The Last Jedi
* DD45. Star Wars Fantasy Auction
* DD46. The Force Awakens Commentary, Part 1
* DD47. The Force Awakens Commentary, Part 2
* DD. Gluten-Free Summer Movie Preview
* 155. Denny's Solo Menu
* DD. Saved By The Max (Snack or Wack)
* DD. Solo
* DD. or Nothing
* DD. Star Boys Episode IX: The Rise Of Dough
* DD. The Great Ice Cream Sandwich Competition
* 265. Buffalo Wild Wings 2
* DD. May The Forks Be With You

## Photos (via @doughboyspod)

Chili 5-WayCheese FriesButterfinger Milkshake