Shake Shack's Glacial Takeover Heats Up

The concept behind Shack Shack is straightforward. Its COO Randy Garutti has said that its mission has been to be "a modern roadside burger stand," to make classic fast food really well. Its menu includes nothing much besides hamburgers, hot dogs, fries and ice cream. Even McDonald's serves a few more adventurous dishes.

But straightforward doesn't mean easy. Owner Danny Meyer expects perfection from every restaurant in the Union Square Hospitality Group. For Shake Shack to meet the high standards of siblings like Gramercy Tavern and Eleven Madison Park, without the advantage of its siblings' lush interior decor and high prices, took time and effort.

That meant Shake Shack started slow. It opened in Madison Square Park in 2004. Word of its fresh-tasting burgers and custard-based, Blizzard-besting concretes spread throughout the city; lines stretched across the park. Many called for more locations to cut the wait, but Meyer wanted to wait until all the kinks were worked out. Then the USHG opened outposts in the Upper West Side and in Citi Field in 2008 and 2009. Four more locations (Miami Beach, Upper East Side, Times Square, Saratoga Springs) sprung up in 2010.

At the start of 2011, then, it could have been considered a successful, but minor, chain. But by the start of 2012, it will be an empire.

Shake Shack has already opened five outposts in 2011: two in Washington, DC and one each in Kuwait, Dubai and New York. The burger chain's invasion of the capital was major enough news that Meyer was asked to throw the opening pitch of a game at Nationals Stadium, the site of the second DC location. And just this week, Michelle Obama got serious flack for eating at the Dupont Circle location. Critics said it was a hypocritical indulgence, given her support of anti-childhood-obesity programs. These critics, assumedly, have never felt the nostalgic rush of alternating between sips of Shake Shack's caramel shake and crunches of its hyper-crisp French fries.

Shake Shack's whirlwind year isn't even over. The USHG has announced plans for three more Shake Shacks by the end of the calendar year, and yet another by mid-2012. Here's the full list of announced locations:

Westport, CT: Mid-Summer 2011

Downtown Brooklyn: Fall 2011

Philadelphia: Second Half of 2012

Shake Shack will soon be flipping burgers in three countries and five states. But Garutti, in the speech where he called the brand a "roadside burger stand," also voiced another maxim: "The bigger we get, the smaller we need to act." Shake Shack may have plans to go far from its original location, but for the sake of their customers' taste buds, they had better not go far from that original motto.

A video of the New York location:

Comments

[HappyBrit]

06:44 AM on 07/13/2011

For goodness sake not more "flipping" burgers - can we have a real food section soon?

[SteveDenver]

04:21 AM on 07/13/2011

Just went to their website and the prices are better than some of the burger establishments in Denver. My boyfriend and I are planning to go to NY next year to get married. Maybe we'll host our reception at the Shake Shack!

[SteveDenver]

04:08 AM on 07/13/2011

Critics say its hypocritical for Michele Obama to have a burger, fries and shake, while she crusades against childhood obesity? If she was eating that way every day, I would join their chorus of disapproval, but the woman is fit. Now you guys can get back to your "laser focus on job creation."

[jsarets]

04:55 AM on 07/13/2011

I highly doubt she finished even half of that order. This what political figures do. They order one of everything popular and politely take a few bites of each.

[jsarets]

03:20 AM on 07/13/2011

So I tried a Shackburger on my last visit back east, and on balance it is my favorite of the big three premium fast-food burger chains (In-n-Out, Five Guys, Shake Shack). I think that Five Guys, although not unpalatable by any stretch, is the clear back marker, but the race between In-n-Out and Shake Shack is not so straightforward to compare them because they have very different approaches.

In-n-Out is does not fancy itself a boutique burger shop like Shake Shack does. They use two 2oz patties of 100% chuck on the Double Double. They cook through quickly and don't develop much of a crust, but with the USDA regulations requiring an internal temp of 155F, thin patties of chuck helps coat the dryish meat in copious amounts of rendered beef fat.

In-n-Out burgers are delicious in a very greasy kind of way.

Shake Shack serves a single 4oz patty, which is the maximum weight I'd ever attempt to cook to 155F. They use a custom Pat LaFrieda blend, rumored to consist of 50% sirloin, 25% chuck, and 25% brisket. They are smashed onto a barely-lubricated, blazing hot stainless steel griddle and allowed to stick, then scraped off with a putty knife to flip. The burgers form a really nice crust, and the fat tends to stay put in the looser structure of the patty rather than running out.

The Shackburger has a more pleasing texture and much more of the bright flavors of beef from the brisket to balance the fatty bass notes. I can't think of a better way to make a USDA-approved burger. Shake Shack also wins for their soft and slightly sweet potato buns (lightly buttered and grilled) and their astonishingly high quality tomato slices. 

But I prefer In-n-Out's mayo-based special sauce to Shake Shack's. It's tangier and sweeter and stands up better to the burger, although I like the subtle heat of the Shack sauce. In-n-Out also has a gooey-er, more flavorful kind of American cheese, and their grilled onions are simply awesome.

In general, I'd say that Shake Shack has the better burger on the better bun (plus those red ripe tomatoes), so they have the brass tacks of the burger equation firmly on their side. But there's something about the greasy burgers, the gooey cheese, and the tangy sauce that just works well together for In-n-Out.

The Shackburger tastes like you're eating something remarkably good, whereas the Double Double tastes like you're eating something awesomely bad. So to each his own, and a time and place for it.

[SteveDenver]

04:10 AM on 07/13/2011

I'm impressed!

[stealur]

03:42 PM on 07/13/2011

And Wendy's and Whataburger still beat all 3 hands down (for chains). Thankfully, I have Jake's and Burger House in my city. 5 guys is good for the vinegar though. Texas doesn't see a lot of vinegar on fries.

[JScott]

12:47 AM on 07/13/2011

Like In N Out, Tommy's or Whataburger, 5 Guys expand slowly and get it right otherwise you end up like McDonalds-BLAND!

[Jeanette AllenGordon]

11:17 PM on 07/12/2011

Everybody's got to make a living some kind of way and if burgers does the job I say hoo-ray for that guy, it beats him sucking up the welfare system so for anybody who has a good idea to make money that is legal I'm for it.

[Kay-B]

03:37 AM on 07/13/2011

Are you talking about the Corporate Welfare system where the government hands hundreds of billions of dollars in tax cuts to the wealthiest Corporations, money which the country can't afford? If so, I agree.

[SteveDenver]

04:11 AM on 07/13/2011

This post is about BURGERS, your ranting sounds reallystupid.

[young man]

09:31 PM on 07/12/2011

make it at home:

http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2009/10/the-burger-lab-the-fake-shack-how-to-make-shake-shack-burger.html

[soapboxguy]

05:58 PM on 07/12/2011

Is this a story or a commercial? Nice product placement. Ah....Huffington Post in the AOL era.

[MIKEinNYC]

05:55 PM on 07/12/2011

I was a Citifield and, without knowing a thing about the Shake Shack aura, bought lunch there. It was good.

[Jean Carbone]

05:46 PM on 07/12/2011

My son gave me the book, "Setting the Table", by Danny Meyer (founder of this group of restaurants).
I reluctantly started to read it, but quickly became engrossed. His whole idea of hospitality; excellent food and service is of the utmost unwavering importance.
So that even a simple burger or milkshake, when made with consciousness, quality ingredients as well as vibes (attitude of host, cook, and server), can transform mediocre fare into an excellent meal.
So the idea of cooking with love really rings true.

I had a small cafe and applied many of his principles there, basically preparing food as I would for my family, and was very successful. I'd have people actually tell me "That was the best sandwich I've ever had", (or soup, or quiche, etc.) when there was really nothing very special about the food, other than it being prepared conscientiously, and our always striving for perfection.

Kudos to the whole group! Because the restaurant business is very hard, and having owned and operated just a small one for 5 years, I have a whold new respect for large, successful eateries.

[rnews4ed]

05:44 PM on 07/12/2011

I tried it. Shake Shack isn't all that good. In-n-out and The Habit are much better

[misterteenwolf]

05:06 PM on 07/12/2011

we have many better local burger joints here in milwaukee but shake shack is definitely the best chain burger there is. i won't mind seeing them expand

[DonMadrid1500]

04:45 PM on 07/12/2011

Madrid Spain....PLEASE!!!!

[rainbowblue]

04:32 PM on 07/12/2011

What they should do is include far more seating at the Madison Square location! It's bad enough having to wait 45min in line, but then having to fight for a table...

On a side note, what kind of person thinks they have the right to reserve ten spots there when neither their food is ordered nor their whole party is present?

[LightShadow62]

04:58 PM on 07/12/2011

A New Yorker.

[Niasia]

04:16 PM on 07/12/2011

And like someone elese said advertisement in the form of "news" as now I am tempted to really go visit.

[liv4evr]

04:29 PM on 07/12/2011

Seriously! Me too, and I'm a vegetarian.