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OVERLAND, Mo. – Linda Metz was working in insurance before opening up the Overland Steak ‘n Shake on Page.

“This is all completely different because now I’ve got this place to run,” she said. “I’ve got 40-50 employees. We’re still hiring. We’re getting people trained.”

Billboards and news about franchise opportunities got Metz thinking she could do this. Her youngest child is just leaving for college.

“Basically an empty nest and I thought, ‘Well, what am I going to do with all of this time on my hands?’ And then the opportunity kind of presented itself,” she said.

The Page and Ashby location is the first to open out of dozens that closed this spring.

Arthur Schwartz was the last one here.

“It was like noon and they locked the door when we went out,” he said. “They couldn’t take anybody else. It wasn’t that crowded, they just didn’t have the help.”

Schwartz said he’s glad to be back and to see business booming.

“Probably the next time I come we won’t be able to get in the door,” he said.

The new franchise owner lives in the neighborhood. Metz said her family’s been coming here for so long that the Steak ‘n Shake staff know her.

“They’d see my parents pull in and then all of a sudden she’d place their order,” Metz said. “By the time my parents parked and walked in, their food was on the table.”

She was happy to see server Connie still going strong after 23 years with Steak ‘n Shake.

“I told her I’m the new franchisee and she looked at me and she hugged me and kind of cried,” Metz said.

Metz said the loyal customers poured in from day one like it never closed. She said thousands have returned since she reopened the location three weeks ago.

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