Document and Entity Information (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Sep. 28, 2011	Dec. 07, 2011
Document And Entity Information
Entity Registrant Name	BIGLARI HOLDINGS INC.
Entity Central Index Key	0000093859
Document Type	10-K
Document Period End Date	Sep. 28, 2011
Amendment Flag	false
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--09-28
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		$ 484,766,024
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		1,433,019
Document Fiscal Period Focus	FY
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2011