Document and Entity Information - USD ($) $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015	Feb. 15, 2016	Jun. 30, 2015
Document And Entity Information
Entity Registrant Name	BIGLARI HOLDINGS INC.
Entity Central Index Key	0000093859
Document Type	10-K
Document Period End Date	Dec. 31, 2015
Amendment Flag	false
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Is Entity a Well-known Seasoned Issuer?	No
Is Entity a Voluntary Filer?	No
Is Entity's Reporting Status Current?	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Accelerated Filer
Entity Public Float			$ 686,120,384
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		2,066,864
Document Fiscal Period Focus	FY
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2015