Company

Quality, Tradition... The Steak House was established in 1949. The stone building encompassing the Dining Room is the original structure. As the reputation of The Steak House grew, several additions were needed. When liquor-by-the-drink was approved by the

Nebraska Unicameral in the mid 60's, a lounge and bar were added.

In 1985, the lounge was enlarged and remodeled to become STONEY INN LOUNGE -- a gathering place with an atmosphere and appeal all its own. During the summer of 1990, we added a private business/party room which seats 45 people.

The Steak House owes much of its unique character to the many magnificent animal trophies you see displayed in the Dining Room. These trophies are from many areas of the United States, Canada and the Gulf of Mexico.

Top quality food, prompt, personal and courteous service, and a relaxed atmosphere. That's what makes dining at The Steak House an experience you'll remember. We thank you for choosing The Steak House. We look forward to your continued patronage.

The Steak House Celebrates Half a Century

Following the daily lunch rush, Joyce Standley assumes a familiar pose sitting in the middle of The Steak House's stone-lined dining room eating a lunch salad and finalizing the restaurant's latest work schedule.

Standley, general manager and part-owner of The Steak House, works particularly hard on details because she believes that the restaurant, located just south of the intersection of Adams Street and Cornhusker Hwy, owes a great deal of its success over the last 50 years to a simple rule- consistency. Whether you talk about steaks or customer service, both Standley and majority-owner Larry Snyder will bring you back to this concept. "We want our customers to know what to expect. If someone comes here every Wednesday," she explained, "I not only want that customer to know that the food ordered will be done just the way he wants, but also that he will know the server and the person cooking the steaks."

Another major factor in their success, according to Standley, is the fact that the Steak House utilizes its own talents and the talents of companies that they work with. "We leave the aging and cutting of our steaks to Standard Meat - that is their specialty," she said. "However, we recognize our ability to offer homemade items which gives many of our products superior flavor." According to Stanley, The Steak House makes fresh homemade French fries and onion rings that are especially appreciated by customers. In Addition, they make most of their own salad dressings. Employed by The Steak House since 1969 when she began waiting tables in addition to her job as a nurse, Standley has been as much of a fixture inside the stone walls as the 50-year-old grill and the collection of game decorating the dining room. "It's been my home away from home," she admitted, as she described her career at the restaurant, which reached a significant turning point in 1982, when the new owner, Larry Snyder, asked her to manage the restaurant. "It was a scary prospect in the beginning," she said in reference to giving up her nursing career and becoming manager of The Steak House, "but I trusted Larry and Sheryl's business sense and they trusted my relationship with our customers." "I didn't know anything about the front-of-the-house when I bought this place," admitted Larry Snyder, who acquired the restaurant in 1982 from his long-time friend and The Steak House founder, Earl Vermaas. "I'd been coming in here with business clients since 1966 so I knew it was a good place to eat, but I needed someone who knew how to run the day-to-day operation. I could manage the financials and Joyce was the logical choice to run the front-of-the-house."

Changing and Staying the Same

Now general manager and part owner, Standley remembers her early days at the restaurant when she waited tables. "We used to sell 22-ounce T-bones for only a few dollars," she said with a smile that gives you a glimpse of the change that this restaurant ha witnessed over 50 years.

While things have certainly changed in Lincoln's restaurant landscape since Standley began her tenure, The Steak House has remained stubbornly consistent thanks to a shared vision between Snyder and Standley. According to them, the restaurant has never aspired to be anything more than a good, old-fashioned steak house. And it never will. "We've made some changes to the building since I bought it," said Snyder, "but we've never attempted to get away from the simple 'meat and potatoes' mentality that is the backbone of this place." Since he acquired The Steak House, Snyder has expanded the menu to include more pasta and fish options, but he is quick to point out that 85 percent of sales come from steaks. "We understand that we can't get too fancy," he added with a smile. "Generally speaking, the people who come to this restaurant come for a good steak." Of the improvements made over the years, Standley believes they were mainly in areas that didn't change the general character or vision of the restaurant. "Our main goal," she said, "was simply to make the space more efficient and to keep the quality of the food as high as possible."

Through the years she pointed out that changes are inevitable such as the evolution of the liquor laws in Nebraska, which enabled The Steak House to switch from a members-only bottle club to a serve-by-the-drink bar. She also cited a number of physical improvements such as back-of-the-house equipment, the Stoney Inn Lounge, a 45-seat party room, parking lots, bathrooms and many other changes.

According to Standley, these improvements have made The Steak House a better place to eat while not changing the atmosphere that patrons, over the years, have grown to love.

Relationships

When Snyder and Standley talk about their commitment to consistency the first topic they discuss is always meat. According to Standley, the meat is the most consistent thing about the entire restaurant. In fact, from the first day it began serving customers 50 years ago, The Steak House has gotten its meat from Lincoln-based Standard Meat Company. When Snyder took over the restaurant 18 years ago, the first think he did was to look at the specifications for the meat. "We wanted to get our specs down in writing, and have stuck to them the whole time," he said. "Any customer like The Steak House deserves our applause," said Stanley Sands, chairman and owner of Standard Meat Company, which is celebrating its 100-year anniversary this year. "When you have a relationship as long as we've had, you become more than a supplier - you become a friend."

Standley can attest to this relationship between The Steak House and its meat supplier. In her early days as a manager, Standley not only relied on Standard Meat to supply specially cut and aged meat with each delivery, but also as a mentor while she was learning the meat industry. "We're proud to be a part of such a long and successful relationship with another Lincoln company," said Snyder. "I think we both understand how important it is to keep the customer's needs as the top priority." In addition to long-term business relationships, The Steak House has three employees - including Standley - who have been with the restaurant for 25 years or more. Marlene Fleming, the kitchen manager, and Julie Larson, day cook, have been with The Steak House for 26 and 25 years respectively.

The Future

As any restaurant owner will tell you, the future is always uncertain as competition increases and customers become more sophisticated, selective and time sensitive. While both Snyder and Standley are aware of the competitive nature of the restaurant industry, they aren't ready to leave their future success to chance.

They have put together a business lunch menu to appeal to a busier schedule over the lunch hour. Also, they utilize brochures in local hotels and motels as well as print, TV and radio advertisements, and billboards to bring The Steak House to the attention of potential new customers. "We believe we have a good restaurant so we're always looking for ways to let people know what we have to offer," noted Standley. "We want to continue to serve our loyal customers, but we also want to let people traveling through Lincoln know that we're here and that we have some great food." In the end, Larry Snyder runs The Steak House with a firm belief in the basics. While he admits that every new restaurant that opens in Lincoln has an affect on business, he also believes that consistency and quality keep people coming to the intersection of Adams Street and Cornhusker Highway. "Our food is hand-made and our customers know that," he said. "If we get away from our bread and butter, we will shut our own doors." Fortunately, the doors at The Steak House appear to be wide open as the oldest steak restaurant in Lincoln prepares to embark on its second 50-year journey.