A Steak ’n Shake restaurant in Springfield, the largest city in the southwest quadrant of Missouri that includes the state’s share of the Ozark Mountains (Arkansas has the other). The Steak ‘n Shake chain was founded in 1934 in Normal, Illinois. Gus Belt, Steak ‘n Shake’s founder, pioneered the concept of touting the combination of premium hamburgers and milk. shakes. Photo by Kathy Alexander.