Frisco Melt
Steak ’n Shake’s cult favourite, and not a burger on a bun at all. Two steakburger patties with Swiss and American cheese and the tangy Frisco sauce, pressed between slices of grilled sourdough. It eats like a patty melt crossed with a grilled cheese, and it has a following that outlasts every menu change.
The story
Sourdough has been shorthand for San Francisco on American menus since long before anyone put a burger on it: the bread became a Gold Rush symbol and the nickname stuck to the prospectors themselves. Fast food borrowed the association in the 1990s, when several chains launched burgers labelled Frisco built on grilled sourdough with Thousand Island dressing and Swiss. Steak ’n Shake’s version is the diner reading of it, two thin steakburger patties in place of one thick one.
What’s inside
- 2 steakburger patties
- Swiss cheese
- American cheese
- Frisco sauce
- grilled sourdough bread
Make it at home
There is no copycat of the Frisco Melt yet. Until there is, these recipes on the site come closest to it, judged by what goes into the bun.
- Shares beef, cheese and a double stack
The Mr. Smiley Burger - Shares beef, cheese and a double stack
McDonald's Daily Double (Copycat) - Shares beef, cheese and a double stack
Peter’s Triple Bacon Burger - Shares beef, cheese and a double stack
Whopper (Copycat)
Similar burgers at other chains
Built around the same things as the Frisco Melt.- Five Guys · beef, cheese and a double stack
SignatureCheeseburger - Wayback Burgers · beef, cheese and a double stack
SignatureCheeeesy - Blake's Lotaburger · beef, cheese and a double stack
SignatureLota Burger New Mexico Style - Swensons · beef, cheese and a double stack
SignatureGalley Boy
More from Steak 'n Shake
About Steak 'n Shake
Gus Belt opened the first Steak ’n Shake in Normal, Illinois, in 1934. His slogan, “In Sight It Must Be Right”, was a promise with a performance attached: he would wheel a barrel of T-bone, sirloin and round steaks into the dining room and grind them into burger meat in front of the customers. At a time when Americans were deeply suspicious of ground beef, that was the entire pitch, and it is where the word “steakburger” comes from.
Around 400 restaurants across more than 25 states.
Not affiliated with Steak 'n Shake. Trademarks belong to their owners.