Shake Shack, A New York Hamburger Chain In Multiple Area Locations

[eatdrinkmore]

May be a bit premature to start a new thread for a 'rumor', but I was pretty excited to read that Shake Shack may have signed a lease to come to DC.

I have only heard glowing reviews of the NYC Shake Shack. I think this could give several of our burger chains a run for their money. DC really is becoming a burger mecca.

 

[leleboo]

I have only heard glowing reviews of the NYC Shake Shack.

Oh really?

[eatdrinkmore]

Argh, if DR doesn't like Shake Shack, I am a bit deflated at this news

[weinoo]

Sorry, but Shake Shack's burgers are not overcooked; they're cooked medium to well-done, and lightly smashed on the griddle, which is obviously not a style that everyone loves. Nothing is par-cooked, by the way, as it is in some other well-know places.

Don't go expecting a half-pound behemoth that you can order medium- rare - ain't gonna happen. Shack burgers are 4 oz.., topped with cheese, lettuce, tomato and sauce on a griddled potato roll that is the proper size for a burger like this. In NYC at least, the blend contains chuck, brisket and short rib. This certainly isn't gonna knock the high-end burgers off their game, but it would be a nice alternative to the Five Guys, Good Food and their ilk.

There are also some very good Chicago-style hot dogs and the aforementioned fries as well. Beer and wine, too.

And the "concrete" is Danny Meyers' ode to St. Louis' Ted Drewes, frozen custard spun with add-ins of your choice. I prefer gelato.

[DonRocks]

Sorry, but Shake Shack's burgers are not overcooked; they're cooked medium to well-done, and lightly smashed on the griddle, which is obviously not a style that everyone loves.

I'm not sure there's a better word in the English language to describe burgers ordered medium that come out well-done.

[eatdrinkmore]

Washington Business Journal just confirmed they are bringing their over-cooked burgers to DC in the old Fuddruckers space in Dupont.

[weinoo]

I hope Spike tries one.

[Heather]

My friends in Miami have been completely underwhelmed by the Shake Shack on Lincoln Road. It's doing well with the tourists, though. Maybe DC will be better.

[weinoo]

My friends in Miami have been completely underwhelmed by the Shake Shack on Lincoln Road. It's doing well with the tourists, though. Maybe DC will be better.

Not that hard to understand, as I've seen and tasted what many Miamians hold in high regard.

[Woodleygrrl]

Do we REALLY need another burger joint? Jeebus.

[MsDiPesto]

Do we REALLY need another burger joint? Jeebus.

Sure, that way the lines at each one are reduced proportionally.

[Heather]

Not that hard to understand, as I've seen and tasted what many Miamians hold in high regard.

Wow.*

Could it be possible that the offshoots are not as good as the original? That's usually the way it works with chains. To give a local example, the burgers I've had at Ray's The Classics have not been as good the at the original Hell Burger.

*(I will add that these friends almost never go to the Beach, because the parking is terrible and expensive, the drinks are overpriced, and the food is generally not worth the hype. YMMV)

[Thad]

Started a new topic because other topic locked for some reason. Anyway... I think this is fantastic. Shake Shack is better than Five Guys, BGR, Z Burger, or any place in DC. That said, I do worry whether the DC branch will be as good as NYC version but if they can pull it off, it is a red letter day for D.C. burgers. And finally some good shakes in Dupont!

[squidsdc]

I was told it opened, yesterday, but from what I see on the web it apparently opened today. Line at 1:30 wrapped around the 18th Street block almost to the entrance to Nando's. I happened to be going to Nando's, and asked if they were getting a lot of spillover from people who couldn't wait in line....yep!

My lunch wasn't long enough to wait on line, so someone else will have to be the guinea pig!

[chaofun]

I guess it will be me then. Stopped by quickly at 11:15 because I had to head out to NoVa for a meeting. It was about a 30 min wait in line, 5 min wait for my food. My friend from NYC alerted me that its basically Five Guys, and honestly I'm inclined to agree. Its of that same style thin burger. I got the double shackburger which is two patties, american cheese, lettuce, tomato and special sauce. I asked for onions as well. I like the bun, and the veggie toppings were crisp and fresh. The burger itself was oversalted. The fries were crinkle cut yukon golds that I thought I would hate but were not bad. Crispier than I thought they would be. I still have a general dislike yukon gold fries in general.

Overall, I would call it a fancy Five Guys. Actually I like Five Guys better, more topping choices, better fries. I give Shake Shack the nod on the quality of the toppings they had, which are only raw onions, tomatoes, lettuce, and on the bun. It's more similar to In-N-Out burger, but In-N-Out is superior, from just having it in Las Vegas. Good burger, but I wouldn't wait in line for them again.

[bookluvingbabe]

I'm looking forward to trying the DC version. I love the NY Shake Shack. It doesn't remind me of Five Guys at all. It reminds me of old school, midwestern Steak and Shake with a little Ted Drewes thrown in for good measure.

Waiting for the hype to blow over before venturing over...

[MC Horoscope]

Shake Shack is always described as a "roadside joint." I don't know. Does Madison Square Park in NY pop into your mind when you hear the term "roadside"? Strange marketing gimmick. Might as well call it a drive-in.

[DonRocks]

Shake Shack is always described as a "roadside joint." I don't know. Does Madison Square Park in NY pop into your mind when you hear the term "roadside"? Strange marketing gimmick. Might as well call it a drive-in.

Refer to Freddy's Lobster and Clams, Tackle Box, Surfside, Clare and Don's Beach Shack, Burger Joint, Red Hot and Blue, Hard Times Cafe, Silver Diner, Red Hook Lobster Pound, Buck's Fishing and Camping, Taqueria Nacional, Bayou Bakery, etc.

[MC Horoscope]

Touché! I think Buck's takes the cake.

[weinoo]

Has anyone tried the hot dogs or a concrete?

[lion]

I was there on Tuesday night about an hour before closing since I was in the neighborhood. It was still packed and a full line. However since I was only ordering a black and white shake, really appreciated the "Cold Items" roped line which let me bypass the regular line. Still from waiting on my order and observing the counter and kitchen, things moved pretty quickly.

The Shack looks modern and the design fits well within that section of town. It felt like a slightly more upscale joint that Good Stuff eatery and Five Guys and is much more cleaner visually as there were no photographs of people on the wall. Even after 10 pm on a weeknight, the tables in the back room were all full.

Since I had eaten dinner earlier in the night, this was a shake trip only. I was a little surprised by the size of the shake, basically it's the same cup size as Potbelly's and perhaps that coloured my impression of the taste in a negative way. Still, the shake just tasted rather bland.

[DPop]

The comparison to Steak and Shake is a good one, as is the poor man's version of In-N-Out (another place I find terribly overrated). I wasn't excited when I heard the news that this place was opening in DC, and I wasn't excited by my double shackburger a couple nights ago. Fast food, thin patty burgers that aren't Good-Stuff-greasy but knocking on that door. Terrible fries, very good milkshake (although I'm not sure I've ever met a milkshake I didn't like).

Meh. Another place where you will have to wait 30-45 minutes in line for a mediocre product while restaurants like Mark & Orlando's right down the street go out of business for offering the same main food item for a few dollars more and a few hundred times the quality but inferior marketing. I don't get it.

[mtureck]

Just had lunch there today.

I'd say the burgers were on par with Five Guys. Same style certainly, a little saltier, but juicy and tasty.

The shake was good, but nothing exciting.

The fries were dull and underwhelming.

Not much else to say really...it's better than the Fuddruckers that it replaced, but all in all I'd go to Five Guys instead if given the choice.

[squidsdc]

The comparison to Steak and Shake is a good one, as is the poor man's version of In-N-Out (another place I find terribly overrated). I wasn't excited when I heard the news that this place was opening in DC, and I wasn't excited by my double shackburger a couple nights ago. Fast food, thin patty burgers that aren't Good-Stuff-greasy but knocking on that door. Terrible fries, very good milkshake (although I'm not sure I've ever met a milkshake I didn't like).

Meh. Another place where you will have to wait 30-45 minutes in line for a mediocre product while restaurants like Mark & Orlando's right down the street go out of business for offering the same main food item for a few dollars more and a few hundred times the quality but inferior marketing. I don't get it.

I was walking nearby and noticed the line wasn't as long today at about 12:20, so I decided to give it a try, as I've heard that the line moves pretty quickly. Not sure when you went that you waited 30-45 minutes, but at prime lunchtime I was on line for maybe 15 minutes max, with a short wait for the food once ordered. Even after sitting to eat outside, I was back at my office before the hour was up. I was really impressed by how quickly they get people in and out, especially when you have a lot of individuals asking questions because they are new to the restaurant.

I ordered a plain burger with lettuce and tomato, and topped it with ketchup. I would not classify my burger in any way as a "fast food thin patty." I noted that it was thicker than Five Guys with more grill flavor, and quite juicy to boot. My only complaint was that it was a bit too salty once I got to the end where the edges were a bit thinner. I agree with other posters that the potato bun was quite good as well. All in all, if I'm in the area and there is not a wait and I'm hankering for a burger, I might go here to get it. It's certainly difficult to beat the price.

The fries: I confess that I am a crinkle fry lover. These were nice and crispy with pretty good flavor, even after sitting about a bit as I brought half of them back to my office to share with a coworker; the coworker was more impressed with them than was I. But now that I've had them once, I probably won't waste the calories on them as I'd much rather order what I had for dessert.. And in comparison with Five Guys, the advantage here is that they are not fried in Peanut Oil, for those who are sensitive or allergic to peanuts. Point Shake Shack.

Let me point out that while waiting in line, they brought samples of the custard in vanilla and chocolate flavors. I was able to taste both, and was not impressed. Both left a sweet odd aftertaste that was not desirable in the least. I had noted that the special custard of the day was the "thin mint" custard, modeled after the Girl Scout cookie of the same name. This is my weakness. So even though I wasn't enamored with the samples, I decided to try it out.. This flavor was exceptional, and worth going back for. Seriously.

So all in all, if one is allergic to peanuts, it's nice to have an alternate place to get a quick tasty burger. And if you like thin mints, it's worth it to find out what day they'll be dishing the flavor as it's only once a week.

ETA one more thing...I know people who wait on line for the lobster truck longer than it took to get my burger today.

[hmmboy]

I guess I'm in a small minority on this board, but I LOVE the Shake Shack burgers. At the burger bash at the South Beach Food and Wine fest this past February, there were 29 restaurants offering burgers. I tasted 26 of them, and while Shake Shack's did not approach those offered by Michael White or Michael Symon or Marc Murphy (my 3 faves), they were certainly in my next favorite grouping. They are infinitely better than Five Guys or In and Out. They will not make you forsake Ray's, Palena, and the like, but they are, for me, the very best of their genre. The crinkle cut fries, though not as much to my liking as the fries at Five Guys or Central, were good. I did not expect to like them much, but they were crispy and tasty. And I also enjoyed the Chicago dog - no, its not Wieners Circle, Flukys, Hot Dougs, etc., but it was as good as any Chicago style dog I have tasted in DC. The space is lovely - great workmanship, materials and attention to detail. Hey, I won't wait 10 minutes for a Red Hook lobster roll, which is as good as any I have ever had, so I won't stand on line at Shake Shack for any extended period. But there will be times when there is no long line and at those times I will be grateful to have it as an option.

[chaofun]

Not sure when you went that you waited 30-45 minutes

It was opening day, sounds like a little of the craziness has worn off.

[DonRocks]

The crinkle cut fries, though not as much to my liking as the fries at Five Guys or Central, were good. I did not expect to like them much, but they were crispy and tasty.

You're kidding, right?

Hey, I won't wait 10 minutes for a Red Hook lobster roll, which is as good as any I have ever had

You're kidding, righ ...

... oh, wait a minute, it's the deep-frozen aspect of things that you must like. Never mind.

Enjoy with a 2005 Torbreck "The Laird."

[Uperenat]

Shack burger with onion was delectable. FAR from overcooked. I prefer this to Five Guys. I'd like to try it animal-style.

[jayandstacey]

Had one in NY 3 weeks ago and enjoyed it. However I think the bun has a lot to do with it - the potato bun has more 'pop' in the flavor and a sweetness that offsets the saltiness of the burger. Plus, a key element is that it is not multiple pounds of meat - rather it is somewhere between a slider and a 5 guys burger, meaning it doesn't strike back at you an hour later - while not being a flat-patty McDonalds style. So basically it is a nicely seasoned, reasonably sized burger on a sweet bun. Works for me.

[turbogrrl]

Seemed like a good evening for a stroll, and the boy was coming in from VA, so we met and checked out the hullabaloo. Line out the door was ~15 deep, but we still had our food in 25 minutes or so. Burgers were juicy and flavourful; pretty much what my mouth has always wished five guys would taste like. Mouth was happy. Forgot to get fries, don't think we missed much there. $5 milkshake did not live up to pulp fiction standards, but was tasty nonetheless. (Nick disagrees, and says he'll stick with soda in the future.) May have to spring for the "insert burger here" onsie for a certain cranky baby I know.

Great space, everyone seemed happy, chatting with other people in line. I'll be back, but my craving for guilty burgers like these doesn't tend to hit me all that often.

[hmmboy]

Enjoy with a 2005 Torbreck "The Laird."

your misplaced hatred for SS is so predictable, but this is so nasty it makes me believe something more is amiss - wiener on the fritz again mate? I readily concede that I enjoy SS's crispy frozen fries and Red Hook Lobster's Maine roll to the anal juices of several of this city's toques which you so frequently savor, typically washed down with (and I quote your boy Parker) "some teeth enamel removing wine with acid levels close to toxic, made by some sheep farmer on the north side of his 4,000-foot foot elevation vineyard picked two months before ripeness, and made from a grape better fed to wild boar than the human species." Cheers

[DonRocks]

wiener on the fritz again mate?

I knew that would touch a nerve, hee, hee!

[DPop]

Watch out Don you've angered the bear!

[DonRocks]

Watch out Don you've angered the bear!

[Jarad Slipp]

the anal juices of several of this city's toques which you so frequently savor,

Now actively seeking investors for Jarad's Shrimpin-mobile.

It's like a food truck but different. Bring your own straw...

[Psinderbrand]

My friends in Miami have been completely underwhelmed by the Shake Shack on Lincoln Road. It's doing well with the tourists, though. Maybe DC will be better.

Looks like DC is going to follow suit. Went this evening, and those in line were mostly tourists. Burger was fine, a step up from 5 Guys, but not in the same league as Ray's or even BGR. Fries were forgettable, as was the chocolate shake. Didn't get a chance to sample the concrete, so may come back some hot and humid DC afternoon, but doubt I'll be back for burgers. Too many other options to fall for the hype more than once.

[mame11]

Could post a negative comment or two but instead I am going to post a positive comment to assist members of, and visitors to, donrockwell.com...

if you are in dupont circle and crave a hamburger and fries go to BGR north of the circle and partake in a meal. The burgers at BGR are grilled, not fried. The fries (sweet and idaho) are freshly prepared.

[Michael Landrum]

While not perfect (to whit, fries), I must say that I immensely enjoyed my Double Shackburger and Rhubarb concrete today--and I don't say this to annoy Don, although that is an added bonus. To me, this is a perfect and delicious iteration of the classic, traditional-style American burger--and even with the somewhat accurate assessment of a less than fully pronounced beef flavor, I would still argue that in this style burger, the crispy-edged salty goodness and the fact that the melted cheese vies for dominance with the burger patties is EXACTLY as it should be, and what makes it so great.

Further, as a great admirer of Danny Meyer, I have to mention two astounding feats at Shake Shack that I can only marvel at: One, the burger presentation, specifically, how they manage to keep the buttery potato roll hinged even while being toasted on the grill (and this coming from someone who knows more than a little bit about coming unhinged) so that the burger opens up with a wide smile with all it's promised good stuff on full display, but that the last few bites are nothing but pure, unadulterated burger, cheese, butter and grease--in short, heaven.

[Now if we could just get The Parker Meridien to open here, both to get a Burger Joint, and to make possible some Biggie-style "sweets at the Parker Meridien" (No love making, strictly back breaking...)]

And two, the sheer, tight efficiency of design and execution of the operation. Far too many people lately, especially with cupcakes and burgers, equate long lines with popularity and success when that is simply not the case in some notable cases.

While on the subject, I really would like to bring up something that has troubled me more and more lately, and that is, when did it stop being okay to like or prefer one burger without having to absolutely HATE another burger--especially with something so basic and so deeply personal when it comes to preferences and with so much of the whole temps perdu, temps retrouve thing going on? Why isn't it alright to just like what you like and leave it at that?

And why does there have to be this forced competition where someone who prefers a different style or place becomes a sworn mortal enemy.

I'll be perfectly honest, there are pretty much about six things in life that I love beyond anything else: women, music, burgers, ice cream, roller coasters and scotch (blended, and don't even start with me--just go play adult kickball, or do some Civil War re-enactment shit or practice for your next Ba'at'lith competition and then argue about "craft" beer for twelve hours while your home-made Durian bitters age and leave my drinking preferences the eff alone)--and I guarantee you all that there is not a single day that I don't wake up in the morning and immediately start to think about one or all of those things and how and when I can get in on some of that as soon and as often as possible.

But the thing is, I love them all, they're all great and they're all different. That only makes me love them and crave them more. That's my day. That's my life. If you opened up my brain that's all you'd see going on. What else is there?

I don't care whose they are, I love them. Why not? And why should it matter? Linda's Place, Five Guys (the one in the Navy League has a great owner and staff and I have found even the fries to be consistently great--like in the old days in the old locations), Palena, Central, Tune Inn, Againn (in Rockville, at least, where they do a remarkable job of approaching the awesomeness of a Minetta's Tavern-style burger), Shake Shake, Morton's, Vidalia's they are all great (just not the blatant rip-off artists' burgers--Did you know that Z-Burger's owner opened a Twitter account under the name Ray's Hell Burger and then used it ti twitter about how great Z-Burgers are?). Even the Cheesecake Factory has an awesome burger. And so are a hundred more I can't even think about right now. Oh, a Patty Melt and a frappe at Brigham's (by the way, even though it's not we serve, i gotta say--if it's any good, it's not a milkshake, it's a frappe!). It's whatever you crave that day or whatever you can get your hands on at the time. And if there's a burger you don't particularly care for, so what? Someone else does.

Same with women. I want them all. Literally. Why else would it be the case that there is an infinite number of ways that a woman can be beautiful, where there is pretty just one way for men to be attractive. Same with ice cream--What? Only one ice cream is the best and that's the only one you can eat? Not great ice cream? Big deal. That's what fudge and caramel and marshmallow fluff and jimmies and frozen sweetened strawberries in those rectangular cans are for. Same with roller coasters. Are there some that you actually have a bad time on? Even the really bad ones still make you think you're going to die on them. That's fun too. (And yes Joe, I do mean the ones you sell...)

Arguing about which is the best burger is about as pointless as arguing about who the baddest ass bad-ass is--Earl "The Pearl" Monroe, Clyde "The Glide" Frazier, or Wilt "The Stilt" Chamberlain. It doesn't matter--they're all cooler than any or all of us, individually and put together. They can wear full-length leather trench coats and you can't.

Or like arguing about who's the cooler "Iceman"--Jerry Butler or George Gervin or Otzi. It just doesn't make sense. (And before anyone says anything about that incomprehensibly stupid movie Top Gun, let me remind you that neither movies nor jet planes existed during the Civil War or in Middle Earth).

Anyway, I'm really happy that Shake Shack is here, especially since concretes are the one thing I liked about St. Louis--besides Hadley's Party Center--that was actually from St. Louis, and not from across the river in East St. Louis.

And I can't wait for Bobby Flay's place to open up and the Passion Food Group's place, too, just to have more burgers to try, even though nothing can ever fill the gaping void left when Little Tavern went away and left me all alone.

[DonRocks]

your misplaced hatred for SS is so predictable

While not perfect (to whit, fries), I must say that I immensely enjoyed my Double Shackburger and Rhubarb concrete today--and I don't say this to annoy Don, although that is an added bonus.

One thing six years of running this board has taught me is NOT to sit back and enjoy watching false rumors about me run amok. "Nip them in the bud" - that's the position a 'tweener (neither famous nor unknown) like me finds himself in, so let me pose this challenge:

Can someone please post anything, anywhere, where I've said I hate Shake Shack? As Michael alluded to, I think the frozen crinkle-cuts are lame-o, and yes, I had an overcooked burger at the upper West Side outlet last summer, but if anything, I'm grateful to them for granting Matt and me air-conditioned shelter on a 100+ degree day downstairs, where we slowly nursed our meal and watched the Isner-Mahut Wimbledon marathon for an hour or more as we were doing just about anything to stay out of the heat before having to catch a night flight to Ireland.

That having been said, I now urge all readers to scroll up one post and read Michael's funny, witty, and substantive essay, and I say this while at risk of him being fingered as one of this city's toques whose anal juices I doth shrimp.

And I miss my deathburgers at Little Tavern as much as anyone.

Cheers,

Rocks

(P.S. At 10 PM last night, there was a line, but it wasn't out the door.)

Same with ice cream--What? Only one ice cream is the best and that's the only one you can eat? Not great ice cream? Big deal. That's what fudge and caramel and marshmallow fluff and jimmies and frozen sweetened strawberries in those rectangular cans are for. Same with roller coasters. Are there some that you actually have a bad time on? Even the really bad ones still make you think you're going to die on them. That's fun too. (And yes Joe, I do mean the ones you sell...)

That having been said, there's a difference between enjoying life for what it is, and not being discerning. There's lots of really, really bad ice cream out there that smells like Play-Doh (aside: any ice cream made with HFCS can pretty much go straight to Hell), and also more than a few poorly designed roller coasters (less of a problem with roller coasters since the development cost is so high). So let's not get too carried away with our little luv-fest.

[Joshua Grinnell]

There's nothing like joining a debate between giants by throwing out some words that aren't my own, but Calvin Trillin's "Anybody who doesn't think that the best hamburger place in the world is in his home town is a sissy" is apropos of everything here.

You can be ecumenical and appreciate the beauty of a thousand thousand women, but we have our signature regional beauty (either Helen Hayes for classic style or Alyson Hannigan for the nerd vote) and suddenly all the folks from NYC won't shut up about this woman who is gorgeous and has nice legs from walking everywhere but thinks you're the frumpy friend who was in student government instead of drama club.

I love this post from my favorite hamburger blog (because I take hamburgers SERIOUSLY, man) that tries to compare the regional champions. It doesn't really work, because everything had to be overnighted for fairness. I believe the end result is there has to be a Springfield vs. Shelbyville factor that makes YOUR burger better than THEIR burger. Hell, I say that even knowing that Five Guys has slid in quality from the olden days before the expansion. I'll gleefully eat a Shake Shack or In-n-out (in fact, I can't wait for my first West Coast burger) but deep down my native heart comes in a greasy paper bag with too many fries.

Also, it's easy for Mr. Landrum to say, "Girls, girls, you're all pretty" when he makes a burger that would make any burger partisan weep tears of tallow.

[cjsadler]

the somewhat accurate assessment of a less than fully pronounced beef flavor

A while back, I tried making my own Shake Shack grind (see article here) and it was a seriously beefy burger. So I was pretty surprised when I tried SS here the other day-- not much beef flavor (somewhat bland, I thought). Did they purposely make the mix milder for DC? Anyone here had SS in both NYC and DC?

[jparrott]

I can echo most of Mr. Landrum's technical comments on the burger itself. Three other observations:

1. The bun-toasting effect is considerably less than that of In-N-Out. The added fatty crunch of the In-N-Out bun is what I think really distinguishes it.

2. Shake Shack's "spread" doesn't seem to have the same impact as that of In-N-Out. I think this is a matter of the quantity applied, as I imagine the spreads are substantially similar. The lack of a "spread," btw, is where Five Guys goes off the rails for me.

3. The lettuce gets lost. One wilted leaf with basically no flavor. If you're going to leaf the burger, either go iceberg (for crunch), add more leaves (for crunch and flavor), or switch to arugula (which gives flavor, but makes the burger a FancyBurger).

[Sthitch]

Same with roller coasters. Are there some that you actually have a bad time on? Even the really bad ones still make you think you're going to die on them. That's fun too. (And yes Joe, I do mean the ones you sell...)

Ride Cedar Point's Mean Streak and see if this statement still holds true, it is without a doubt the single worst roller coaster you will ever ride (and when you do bring a bottle of your favorite headache medicine, you will need it).

[chaofun]

I went again today, line only 10 minutes long. This time I avoided the fries and got a large drink instead of the regular which is REALLY small. The Shack Burger was way better than the one I had opening day. Less salty, cooked closer to medium than last time when it was well done. Thumbs up.

[ahr]

Tip from a New Yorker: As for it "rare," and you'll get one still pink inside, except for the 5% of the time it comes raw inside by mistake. There's no POS key for "medium rare" (or so I've been told).

In any case, if you're not pleased with the doneness, or anything else, return it to the pick-up window and you'll get a new burger with an apology and a smile, no questions asked. Customer service is what these guys do best.

[Joe H]

My wife and I went today. I thought this place was a joke: frozen crinkle cut fries, a burger almost totally devoid of juice/grease/flavor, mildly flavored mayo masquerading as some kind of secret sauce and TWENTY DOLLARS (that's $20.00!) for two single Shackburgers, two french fries and two small soft drinks. No way that I would compare this place to In-n-Out or Hell Burger. A single Shackburger is NOT as large as Five Guys-it couldn't have been any bigger than a single at Wendy's...speaking of Wendy's my wife mentioned it by name as superior. I didn't think she was exagerrating.

I wonder if anyone reading this has ever been to Kopp's in Milwaukee which is the standard for frozen custard and burgers?

One last comment: the only reason there was a line is because the countermen were so slow on their registers. Even then when we left @12:15 there were no more than 8 or 10 in line.

Let me be the first to say it: Shake Shack will not make it in D. C. based on what we had there today. A huge disappointment. If New York is better then they need to move a manager and a grill person down here tonight.

And start serving fresh potatoes.

Note: we left hungry and stopped at the Red Hook lobster truck at Connecticut and Van Ness which DOES live up to its billing despite the $15.00 price. Curiously, there was no line there.

[Adam23]

I have been to Shake Shack a few times since my co-workers like it. The burgers are basically non-greasy five guys, but there is no comparison to BGR or Hell Burger. This is a thin patty with minimal taste.

I actually like their fries - mine were crisp and hot and had some seasoned salt on them. I thought they were rather enjoyable and far superior to the ball of grease five guys serves. (But I could be biased since I grew up eating krinkle cut fries since that was what my local fast food place served).

One item I really really enjoy is the Shroom Burger. This may possibly be the best thing I have eaten in quite some time. A portobello mushroom stuffed with cheese and then deep fried until crisp. So good. My co-workers thought I was crazy to order it, but then they saw me eat it and were jealous. If you like fried molten cheese, this is for you.

[yfunk3]

I liked it, but have never had the NYC version (the long line always put me off). If I had one complaint about their burger and fries, it was that it was slightly saltier than I would have liked, so I'm not quite understanding the "flavorless" comments I understand some are used to more salt than others, though. The fries were okay, nothing too extraordinary, but good with the burger. I think by the second half of the burger and fries, my salt tolerance had built up a bit and I was able to taste them more. Good potato flavor in the fries. You can really tell they use Yukon Gold. The special sauce was good in that it added a slight "bite" to the burger, but didn't overpower it. Liked how they sliced the bun so that the burger won't fall out, too.

The custard, on the other hand...was boring as all heck. I got a mix with peanut butter and chocolate syrup. It was such a measly portion of custard (for the price, it was just highway robbery!) and there was little-to-no chocolate flavor at all in the custard, even with the chocolate sauce! Barely any peanut butter, as well. Maybe it's just a handler issue there? I doubt it, though!

[Thad]

You're certainly entitled to your opinion but Shake Shack NY (and elsewhere) is tremendously successful because most people (me included) love the burgers. They are 1000 better than In-N-Out (at only triple the price). I agree the fries stink but the concretes are fantastic. But what really counts is the burger -- tender, very flavorful, great sauce, incredibly soft potato bun.

My wife and I went today. I thought this place was a joke: frozen crinkle cut fries, a burger almost totally devoid of juice/grease/flavor, mildly flavored mayo masquerading as some kind of secret sauce and TWENTY DOLLARS (that's $20.00!) for two single Shackburgers, two french fries and two small soft drinks. No way that I would compare this place to In-n-Out or Hell Burger. A single Shackburger is NOT as large as Five Guys-it couldn't have been any bigger than a single at Wendy's...speaking of Wendy's my wife mentioned it by name as superior. I didn't think she was exagerrating.

I wonder if anyone reading this has ever been to Kopp's in Milwaukee which is the standard for frozen custard and burgers?

One last comment: the only reason there was a line is because the countermen were so slow on their registers. Even then when we left @12:15 there were no more than 8 or 10 in line.

Let me be the first to say it: Shake Shack will not make it in D. C. based on what we had there today. A huge disappointment. If New York is better then they need to move a manager and a grill person down here tonight.

And start serving fresh potatoes.

Note: we left hungry and stopped at the Red Hook lobster truck at Connecticut and Van Ness which DOES live up to its billing despite the $15.00 price. Curiously, there was no line there.

[Joe H]

You're certainly entitled to your opinion but Shake Shack NY (and elsewhere) is tremendously successful because most people (me included) love the burgers. They are 1000 better than In-N-Out (at only triple the price). I agree the fries stink but the concretes are fantastic. But what really counts is the burger -- tender, very flavorful, great sauce, incredibly soft potato bun.

I have a bias.

Failing that, this.

[dcs]

A Movable Feast: Danny Meyer on a Roll in tomorrow's New York Times Magazine.

[Joe H]

A Movable Feast: Danny Meyer on a Roll in tomorrow's New York Times Magazine.

"...the meat comes from Pat LaFrieda, a third-generation butcher who produces a blend of sirloin, chuck and brisket designed by Richard Coraine, former general manager of Wolfgang Puck’s Postrio in San Francisco and now one of Meyer’s partners. As Meyer put it: “There are a zillion variables to a hamburger. What part of the animal went into it. What coarseness. What temperature.” Coraine spent months “tasting and modifying the blend to hit the right chord.”

Really interesting since both of our hamburgers were overcooked.

Be Right Burger, which opened recently in Reston Town Center, is everything that Shake Shack isn't. Including a surprisingly good lobster roll for $9.95.

[bookluvingbabe]

We are planning a road trip with the family to get the whole tribe to the Westport location. The little guy loved Steak and Shake last month and I know that this will delight him.

I have had nothing but good experiences at the dc location.

But I will admit I have yet to try a Danny Meyer establishment that didn't completely enchant me.

[mnnchas]

Any updates on the Spy Museum location? Looks like the Spy Museum Cafe is still fully operational.

[bertandherb]

Sorry, but Shake Shack's burgers are not overcooked; they're cooked medium to well-done, and lightly smashed on the griddle, which is obviously not a style that everyone loves. Nothing is par-cooked, by the way, as it is in some other well-know places.

Don't go expecting a half-pound behemoth that you can order medium- rare - ain't gonna happen. Shack burgers are 4 oz.., topped with cheese, lettuce, tomato and sauce on a griddled potato roll that is the proper size for a burger like this. In NYC at least, the blend contains chuck, brisket and short rib. This certainly isn't gonna knock the high-end burgers off their game, but it would be a nice alternative to the Five Guys, Good Food and their ilk.

There are also some very good Chicago-style hot dogs and the aforementioned fries as well. Beer and wine, too.

And the "concrete" is Danny Meyers' ode to St. Louis' Ted Drewes, frozen custard spun with add-ins of your choice. I prefer gelato.

Would be nice if their menu board made it clear that their hamburger is actually a cheeseburger.

[fuzzy510]

Would be nice if their menu board made it clear that their hamburger is actually a cheeseburger.

Their hamburger isn't. The ShackBurger is, and also comes with LT and Shack Sauce.

[Pat]

Shake Shack takes food allergies seriously.

[KeithA]

I don't really see the appeal of the hamburgers at Shake Shack. While the ingredients are supposed to be higher quality, it is tiny thin burger that is not cooked to order, so any quality difference becomes mostly voided. It is better than McDonalds in taste, but not necessarily than Five Guys and you pay $4 for this "premium" burger. I haven't tried the fries, but they don't look that great either. What I LOVE is the DC location's chocolate mint concrete/blizzard swirled ice cream - that is excellent!

[Destruya]

I don't really see the appeal of the hamburgers at Shake Shack. While the ingredients are supposed to be higher quality, it is tiny thin burger that is not cooked to order, so any quality difference becomes mostly voided. It is better than McDonalds in taste, but not necessarily than Five Guys and you pay $4 for this "premium" burger. I haven't tried the fries, but they don't look that great either. What I LOVE is the DC location's chocolate mint concrete/blizzard swirled ice cream - that is excellent!

I think the 'appeal' of Shake Shack is the fact that it's a "known name" in the great DC-to-NY megalopolis, and that all of the Shake Shacks in NYC for the most part are located in very iconic and memorable areas (the Theater District, Madison Square Park, Upper West/East Side, etc.). For residents of NYC it's (apologies in advance) "just fukkin' Shake Shack" while for people who aren't NYC natives, they remember getting a memorably-good burger in very memorable locations, ideally under very memorable conditions, which leads to them mythologizing the chain as being something greater than it truly is.

[bettyjoan]

I happen to really enjoy Shake Shack's burgers. In my experience, they are always hot, juicy, and well-seasoned, and I like the ratio of meat to toppings to sauce to bun. I like that I can get a nice, tart lemonade to drink (since I don't drink anything carbonated, usually my only option is water). I enjoy the concretes when I am in the mood for something sweet. For me, Shake Shack delivers on all fronts when I am in the mood for a fast-casual-type burger.

Jason and I visited the new Spy Museum location on Saturday, and we really enjoyed our lunch. The burgers were what I always expect from Shake Shack - salty and nicely charred - but they were actually cooked just under medium, which was perfectly fine by us. The Beltway Blondie concrete had vanilla custard, banana, blondie pieces, and salted caramel sauce, and if it had just a touch more caramel sauce, it would have been perfection. The line was a bit long (lunch rush, of course), but the employees were giving out lemonade and custard samples and everyone was in good spirits. It's bigger than the Dupont store and the line has a much better flow, so well done on that point.

[Kev29]

Oooooooh...

Shake Shack Serves Fresh-Cut Fries for the First Time Ever

After nine years in business, Shake Shack is finally making the switch to fresh-cut French fries. The first of the fancy spuds are now being served at the Upper East Side location, but Shake Shack CEO Randy Garutti tells A Hamburger Today: "Every new Shack we open will begin to serve them, and it will take us some months to remodel our current kitchens before the switchover from frozen crinkle cuts to fresh fries is complete."

[darkstar965]

Hadn't noticed this thread before but, looking at the header, may want to add Nats Park also.  It's the most popular vendor at the ballpark for the 2013 season on the upper level behind the CF and RF seats.

[Destruya]

It's going to get to a point where you'll be able to do a "World's End" tour of burgers at Tysons.

[TrelayneNYC]

Popville reports that Shake Shack is moving into the old America space.

 

So now you get to have greasy tasteless salty burgers instead of greasy tasteless overdone food.  How 'bout that!

(it's hard to be simultaneously tasteless and salty (by which I mean the meat isn't very flavorful), but SS manages to do it with regularity.  a neat trick if you can manage it.)

[DonRocks]

So now you get to have greasy tasteless salty burgers instead of greasy tasteless overdone food.  How 'bout that!

(it's hard to be simultaneously tasteless and salty (by which I mean the meat isn't very flavorful), but SS manages to do it with regularity.  a neat trick if you can manage it.)

And here I was thinking I was the only one.

[Gadarene]

And here I was thinking I was the only one.

Definitely not the only one.

[TrelayneNYC]

Don:  You're not the only one.

You can smell the odor of mediocrity from 50 feet away.  It's appetizing, gets your mouth watering and sets you up for the big reveal ... which is, that the burger doesn't live up to expectations.  (There's one three blocks from my apartment; I've been there a few times -- mostly for the hot dogs and the fries.  The fries are very good and what's more, they travel well.  Always a plus in my book.)

Meanwhile, people will line up from all over.  It's a bit sad.

I have a pic of a Shackburger somewhere in my archives.  I'll have to see if I can find it.

[Josh]

I think for the fast-food, thin patty style burger, Shake Shack is good at what they do...At least at the original in Madison Square Park.  The beef blend they used back in the day was anything but flavorless.  I can't comment on what they use now at all of their various franchises, but I would presume it's not the original Pat LaFrieda beef.  The only other Shake Shack I've eaten at is the one at Nats Park.  The line  is in no way worth waiting in, but if it's short, the burger you'll get there is better than the others in the park (not saying much).

And until last year, they were using frozen fries that really weren't worth ordering.  I was glad to see they finally made the switch to fresh cut, but I haven't actually tried them yet.

[hm212]

I have never been to a Shake Shack, but don't feel like I am running there anytime soon.  Based on what I have read here, it sounds like my opinion of the other new place that is franchising - Smashburger, I think all of these thin burgers are boring, flavorless and overseasoned to try to make up for this.

Give me a Dino Burger or a Hell Burger anytime, BGR is pretty good too, but I am tired of crappy franchises that have decent marketing machines to keep buzz up but nothing worth actually eating.

[Destruya]

I'll get around to finally trying Shake Shack when it comes to Tysons, if they ever reveal where exactly the hell it's supposed to be.

[saf]

I like the shakes. Specifically, I like the black and white shakes.

I have a weakness for hot fudge sundaes, and the black and white shakes taste like hot fudge sundaes. (A serious weakness.)

(My friends do not agree - they all want chocolate shakes, and these are not chocolate shakes. Anywhere else, I order chocolate shakes. Here, I drink black and whites.)

I don't really like the food though.

[bookluvingbabe]

I haven't been thrilled with the food at the Dupont location.  The original location was amazing.  But I still think that is partially a mid-western girl's longing for hometown food and I appreciate Danny Meyer's presentation of some hometown classics.  

[Tujague]

I went to the Dupont location a couple of weeks ago for the first time; I was satisfied enough with my burger and fries--certainly better than Good Stuff or Z Burger--but I left feeling like I can now cross it off my places to try and don't have a compelling need to return. But when they announced in the middle of 2013 that Shake Shack was coming to Union Station, I was certain the old America space would be the location, so the confirmation doesn't surprise me at all.

[Destruya]

So if we're to believe this, the Tyson's Shake Shack will be directly connected to the 'mall' station of the Silver Line.  I guess they're really going for that "just like NYC" touch of impossibly long lines.  Only reason I looked this up is because it's been 'coming soon' for about a year and a half now, and a quoted 'done by' date of July is new information.

[cheezepowder]

Another location opened today in Union Station at 50 Massachusetts Ave (Washingtonian).

[MsDiPesto]

So if we're to believe this, the Tyson's Shake Shack will be directly connected to the 'mall' station of the Silver Line.  I guess they're really going for that "just like NYC" touch of impossibly long lines.  Only reason I looked this up is because it's been 'coming soon' for about a year and a half now, and a quoted 'done by' date of July is new information.

Hmmm, guess I'll have to go during "off" hours. Still better than trekking into DC for a burger.

[Destruya]

Hmmm, guess I'll have to go during "off" hours. Still better than trekking into DC for a burger.

Well, they certainly have an extremely ambitious 'courtyard' plan for the area:

From Tysons Tower's gallery

I've a feeling that normally empty back parking garage with the claustrophobic ramps is going to become a lot more popular.

[Destruya]

Evidently they're not fans of pomp and circumstance, since I had to look up that the Tyson's Corner location is now open as of the 11th.

Don't advertise or nothin', folks!

Tysons Menu PDF

[Joe H]

It's already crowded during off hours.  Tysons is also actively installing gates in a number of their parking garages in an attempt to dissuade those taking the Metro who might be looking for a place to park.  Interestingly NOBODY walks from the Tysons Metro to the Galleria.  NOBODY.  I stood in back of the new 22 story Intelsat building and watched 75-100 or more people walk from the Metro to Tysons Corner Center.  I didn't see a single person in this time walk to the Galleria.  My guess is that Tysons Corner Center will greatly profit from the Metro and the closest buildings on the Galleria side will, too.  Lerner has a couple of 30 story buildings slated for their side of the Metro.  But for the Galleria, the Ritz and the buildings on either side of it I cannot help but believe the Metro is largely irrelevant.

I should also note that it is a two thirds mile walk to the Galleria from Metro's platform (measured by me on my Mapmywalk app) and, even when it is dry, for many people, that is too far to walk.

[hopsing]

Is it possible that it is not the distance that is off-putting but the possible lack of sidewalks?  I haven't walked over to the Galleria side yet, but even on the Tyson's side, they had traffic cops guiding us to Tyson's so we wouldn't be hit by some car driving to the garage.  I had an evening meeting at Pinnacle Drive off of Chain Bridge Road and I was thinking of taking the subway, but I was worried there wouldn't be any sidewalks on Chain Bridge Road or Pinnacle Drive. Just my ignorance.  Daunting to cross over all those lanes of Chain Bridge Road.

[DonRocks]

Is it possible that it is not the distance that is off-putting but the possible lack of sidewalks?  I haven't walked over to the Galleria side yet, but even on the Tyson's side, they had traffic cops guiding us to Tyson's so we wouldn't be hit by some car driving to the garage.  I had an evening meeting at Pinnacle Drive off of Chain Bridge Road and I was thinking of taking the subway, but I was worried there wouldn't be any sidewalks on Chain Bridge Road or Pinnacle Drive. Just my ignorance.  Daunting to cross over all those lanes of Chain Bridge Road.

FWIW, I live in Arlington, and Tysons Corner is *on my way* to Bethesda. Even with American Legion Bridge traffic, I find myself in Bethesda more than Tysons, and it's not just because of the number of restaurants - there's something "forbidding" about Tysons Corner, and I can't quite put my finger on it. And this Metro quagmire is a catastrophe in the making, with unstoppable inertia (sort of like global warming - some say that no matter what we do at this point, we're totally hosed).

Why. Didn't. They. Build. It. Straight. Up. The. Toll. Road. To. The. Airport? I'll bet they could have run it right down the middle, and the entire project would already be done; instead, they had to capitulate to the greedy developers and build the next Las Vegas.

DEVELOPMENT < > IMPROVEMENT, and this was the beginning of the end. I take that back: *this* was the beginning of the end. Yep, the sale of Evans Farm Inn to WestGroup and Friends - WestGroup (and the Evans Farm Inn owners) took the money and hauled ass (to Wyoming! (*)), leaving their detritus for the rest of the world to deal with, and the worst has yet to come. In fact, the worst is decades away.

Just fuckin' saying....

(*) And how much do you want to bet that Mount Vernon property will be developed?

[MsDiPesto]

Well, they certainly have an extremely ambitious 'courtyard' plan for the area:

From Tysons Tower's gallery

I've a feeling that normally empty back parking garage with the claustrophobic ramps is going to become a lot more popular.

Ah, there's the green space, on the roof of that middle building!

[DonRocks]

The Tysons Corner Shake Shack is, for the moment, extremely difficult to find if you're inside the mall (if you're outside the mall, don't even bother).

The best instruction (also for the moment) I can give you is this: Head for the 2nd floor mall entrance of Lord & Taylor. There, you'll see the mall-ish equivalent of a boarded-up Shake Shack, with tiny little signs instructing you to 'walk through the bathroom area and go to the courtyard.' And indeed, patrons are forced through a labyrinthian course, passing the mall restrooms, and winding up at a door which leads outdoors to the "plaza" (I suppose one day it will be a "plaza"). For now, 2nd floor entrance to Lord & Taylor, and you'll most likely find it after a minute or two.

The only entrance to Shake Shack is currently from the outdoor, elevated plaza, and at around 8:30 on a Wednesday night, there were about 20 customers outside, waiting or eating, and 2-3 inside, where it was absolutely frigid. The inside must have surely been in the 50s - I didn't think air conditioners could get this cold unless they had compressors (and maybe this one does).

I didn't want to rush through my meal, so I ordered a couple pints of ShackMeister Ale ($5.25) which they were out of, and were instead offering two pints of Shack IPA ($5.25) - both of these are brewed for Shake Shack by Brooklyn Brewery, and as much as I don't particularly care for IPAs, this was refreshing, ice cold, and very good, with an amber color and ample body framing an relatively balanced IPA.

Rest assured, Shake Shack is being heavily secret shopped, and the employees are doing everything (well, almost, see below) in a way that will get them high points on the checklist. There are two types of customer service: the type that's virtually free to the company, and the type that costs the company money. It takes no extra time or effort to smile, or to say "thank you," or to be generally pleasant, and that's what Union Square Hospitality Group does so well (as does Great American Restaurant Group, and for that matter, McDonald's (when was the last time you didn't encounter a courteous drive-thru employee at a McDonald's?)). The employees at the Tysons Corner Shake Shack positively ooze friendliness, and are just about perfect at this "free" type of customer service.

My order for two beers was ready in exactly 6 minutes (and yes, USHG, the food handlers were wearing gloves ), and the gentleman who handed me my tray said, "Enjoy your Shack IPA!" in the friendliest way imaginable. I counted an incredible 16 (!) kitchen employees, and there may have been a couple more than this. I took my beers, went outside, and perused the menu which is divided into 3 columns: left, food; center, sweets; right, drinks and dogs (they have dog biscuits).

The deck had speakers, and was playing (I won't say "blaring," but it was certainly energetic) an upbeat, poppy hip-hop track which circulated the festive atmosphere in the air. After I finished sipping my first IPA, I was ready to order, and got up to go back inside holding my second beer. Keeping in line with the friendliness theme, a gentleman with a broom and dustpan politely asked me, "Do you mind if I sweep under your table, sir?" Points given for an upbeat, cheerful staff, that's for sure.

Shake Shack is serving frozen crinkle-cut fries, and I don't ever need to have those again, so I went for a Shack-cago Dog ($4) which was (take a deep breath) "Dragged through the garden with Rick's Picks Shack relish, onion, cucumber, pickle, tomato, sport pepper, celery salt, and mustard." And also a plain old Double Hamburger ($5.90) with nothing on it but Bacon ($1.25). The menu (linked to up above) said:

"All burgers are cooked medium unless otherwise requested."

I was very pleased to see they're cooking to medium, but also wanted to see if they could get a subtle difference right, so I asked for mine medium-rare. Remember those two types of customer service I was talking about up above? The type that costs the restaurant nothing, and the other type - the type that costs the company money? Well, this was testing the other type - potentially throwing a wrench into the assembly line. The cashier's surprising response?

"We cook all our burgers to medium-rare."

Okay, I knew that was BS, he knew that was BS, but he didn't know that I knew that was BS, so in his mind, monkey wrench avoided with a two-second little-white lie. Also, there were no special cooking instructions on my ticket, so I was to be served a medium-rare burger like everyone else who doesn't make a special request. The order was ready in 9 minutes.

One more piece of advice for anyone ordering similarly to the way I did: save some of those pickled vegetables from the Shack-cago Dog - they make a wonderful burger topping, and there's so many of them that they'll spill over onto your tray. Actually, this reminds me: my bun was cut all the way through (i.e. it was in two pieces, and I didn't realize that), so when I took my first bite of hot dog, the entire thing went ker-plat!, and I was left holding my bun while the hot dog and vegetables were resting in my paper tray. No harm done, but it was pretty funny - the entire thing, and I mean the entire thing, fell out.

Anyway, here's a picture of the center portion of my medium-rare hamburger (better quality here):

[Bart]

Funny you were so keen on observing the service.  I was doing the same thing at Nats Park on Wednesday night.  (That was when Rendon hit his first walk-off base hit of the week, not his second!)

It had been over a year since I'd been to that (or any) Shake Shack so I was a little unclear on the process, but I went to the counter and placed my order and paid as usual.  Then I just stood there waiting for my order.  My waitress/server/cashier just stood there too.

After a couple of minutes I realized that the waiter/server/cashier next to her was taking order after order and those people were paying, getting their reciepts and then standing off to the side.  I soon realized that this was the way it was supposed to work - - order, pay, step to the side and wait.

So now I figured I'd conduct an experiment.  I was going to stay where I was (talking to my daughter), until my food came or until someone clued me in and asked me to step aside.

After 6 or 8 minutes my food came but during that time, no one asked me to step aside and my cashier never took another order.  She just stood there.  The guy next to her probably took 5 or more orders in the time that mine took.  Big time fail on my server's part............but in Shake Shack's defense, the guy next to her was working like a champ.  (we were separated from the large bank of cash registers on the left by a column so I couldn't tell how the other cashiers were doing).  I probably wouldn't have noticed this or cared about it if it weren't a Danny Meyer joint, but hey, when you're the king of hospitality, people expect perfection!  ;-)

(and PS - I didn't feel bad about conducting my little "experiment" because the line was pretty short - - less than half of the roped off area was full)

[Destruya]

Okay, I finally was able to check this place out after a Wednesday "advance screening" (a whole whopping day before its general release) of "As Above, So Below."  Don't go see it with a full stomach - the entire damned thing is done with shaky-cam footage.

First...that pirate ship playset next to the place is going to be a dentist's (and possibly neurosurgeon's) dream.  A pirate ship made out of friggin' steel tubing, covered in Cox's little 'spaceman' character.  I guess that makes it easier for parents to know who to sue when little Aidan (so spell-check considers this a proper name now...bring on the asteroids), Hunter, or Dakota lose their baby teeth and a few permanents when they trip trying to pretend to be Johnny Depp's stunt double.

Second...someone needed to tell them that just because the place is *called* Shake Shack, that they didn't have to *actually* make it a shack.  Seriously - there's indoor seating for *maybe* twenty people at most - everyone else has to make do with outdoor seating.  I foresee the Hyatt they're building having to put up "don't eat here" signs in their lobby.

Anyway - I'd already eaten in the fifteen minutes prior to the movie by taking my chances with the Charlie Chiang's "Kwai" place in the Tyson's food court.  Sure, you might be eating General Tso's (and fried rice) that's been marinating in grease and red sauce for seven hours, but it's still the quickest damned eats in that half-moon of horror.  So rather than give my mall Chinese food a decent amount of company (after it'd been idly threatening to make a reappearance after 90 minutes of ~~shaky cam~~) I sidled into the Shake Shack around thirty minutes before they closed and ordered a single and a chocolate shake.

Verdict?  It's a more-than-decent burger (reddest tomatoes I've seen in a while on anything), but I see this particular franchise becoming a drag on everything around it because of poor design choices - both architecturally and *logically*.  They had all that room on that elevated deck and the place itself looks like it was added as an afterthought.  BGR on the other side of the mall (as well as Elevation Burger) was carved into its space with more thought than they put into this Shake Shack location.  It's going to have foot traffic passing it *by the thousands* ~every day~ from the Metro station, and I swear there's less internal line space inside than there is at a Smashburger.

The chocolate shake, though?  That kicked ass (even though the shake cost slightly more than the single-patty cheeseburger).  Too bad you seem to have to visit this place around 9:30pm on a Wednesday to not have to worry about lines.

[dcs]

Now you can own your own piece of the Shake Shack:  Shake Shack burger chain to be listed on New York Stock Exchange.

[ol_ironstomach]

I've been hitting the Union Station location periodically, especially on those days when I really just need to get out of the building and walk around a bit.  It's been a long, long time since I ate at the original in NYC, but the fond memories of that experience have simply never materialized at the local outpost.  The burgers are fine, but seem smaller, or at least of lesser stature somehow, and the whole experience leaves me with the feeling that I've just been sold the tourist-lite version of what a Shake Shack experience ought to be like.  In NYC, there was a sensation when you got your food that they had overdelivered on such simple items, kind of in the way a Pat's cheesesteak is far more satisfying than watching it being made would suggest.  In DC, the thing you remember is waiting around a bit too long with that little "your numbers has been called" dispatch gizmo, and then collecting a tray of miniature items for which you just paid $15.

At least the upstairs seating affords a pleasant view overlooking the mezzanine below.  But if I think about it too much, I'll probably realize eventually that it would take me about the same amount of time to drive over to Union Market for something vastly better from Red Apron.

[Pat]

Despite its expanding presence in the region, I had never been to a Shake Shack outpost (not even the one at the ballpark).  I rectified that by treating myself to lunch at the Union Station location today.  Given how crowded it was at 12:30 - 12:45 today, the place must be a zoo when it's not summer vacation time.  I asked for pickle and onion with my Shack Burger and was happy with the result.  It was even an acceptable expenditure of 490+ calories.

I didn't care for the fries as much.  There is something about crinkle cut fries that doesn't wow me.  I'm more a shoestring person.  They weren't bad but I'm not going to be craving future trips there to get them (thankfully).

The burger put me in mind of a Gino Giant for some reason, not that I can remember in detail what was even on a Giant.  It was just the feeling that eating the burger gave me.

[rorkin]

Had high hopes for the local branches given all the hype over the NYC location. Frankly as far as I am concerned it is nothing special.

The world is full of better burgers than what is being served here. Just to be sure I was not missing something, I tried DuPont, union station , and downtown. I just don't get it.

[hopsing]

I had a burger in the Brooklyn Heights location a couple of years ago after Michelle Obama made the chain famous.  Burger - not memorable.  Fries boring.  I also did not understand the buzz.

[DonRocks]

Had high hopes for the local branches given all the hype over the NYC location. Frankly as far as I am concerned it is nothing special.

The world is full of better burgers than what is being served here. Just to be sure I was not missing something, I tried DuPont, union station , and downtown. I just don't get it.

People need to stop beating themselves up over the possibility that "they may not get it," and understand that we live in a world of PR and marketing, and 30 years ago, cigarette companies were telling us what a great life we'd all have if we'd only smoke their products.

This all boils down to personal preference, but I would sooner go to Five Guys than I would Shake Shack. The media - everyone who has ever written a glowing article about Shake Shack in the past year or two - is being played for suckers.

Frozen, crinkle-cut fries brought back because the customers were demanding it. The perfect story: proletarian *and* profitable. And how many times have we heard this? Right. Think about it.

[Pat]

For the first fast food burger I'd had in years, I enjoyed what I had at Shake Shack a few days ago.  I can't compare it to much, since I've never been to Five Guys or most other fast food places that are around now.  I believe the last fast food burger I had was at Good Stuff (speaking of hype...).

I didn't have any particular expectations for the trip to Shake Shack, so maybe that's why I was satisfied.  I wasn't expecting mind-blowing food, just something good.  They certainly have the training and hospitality side down.

We finished the fries with last night's dinner.  (I only ate about 1/3 of them at the restaurant.)  They reheated well, but they were still crinkle-cut   .

[DonRocks]

For the first fast food burger I'd had in years, I enjoyed what I had at Shake Shack a few days ago.

I may be wrong about this, but for hamburgers especially, I think one primary difference between "fast food" and "quick serve" is that the latter is "cooked" (or, in the case of places like Chipotle, "assembled") to order. I consider both Five Guys and Shake Shack "Quick Serve" because they don't start cooking your burgers until after you order, at least in theory; in reality, I've come across more than one supposedly "quick-serve" burger joint with pre-cooked burgers sitting on the side of the grill. That's a no-no, and if you ever see it, they've pretty much crossed the line from quick serve to fast food. Regardless, the line between the two is becoming very poorly defined and fuzzy.

By my personal standards, any restaurant that won't cook your hamburger to temperature is essentially fast food, regardless of when the burger is cooked. It's beyond me why people would pay money to eat a well-done burger - would you ever cook one at home? (I'm not talking to you, Pat; this is the Universal You.)

[rorkin]

Well I certainly was not beating myself up about not getting it, I was simply expressing the fact that as you pointed out, what is with all the hype.

[hillvalley]

 I consider both Five Guys and Shake Shack "Quick Serve" because they don't start cooking your burgers until after you order, at least in theory...

Your theory does not hold true for the location at Nats stadium where, at least in the rush before a game, the burgers are premade.  The one I had a couple of weeks ago was still excellent.

[cheezepowder]

Location opening tomorrow at Pentagon City Mall, 1100 Hayes St, Arlington, VA (via Washingtonian)

[DonRocks]

44 minutes ago, Lydia R said:

Article in Bethesda Magazine announces  Shake Shake (& liquor license?)  coming to the Cabin John shopping center along with other improvements: 

"Shake Shack to Open September in Potomac" by Glynis Kazanjian on bethesdamagazine.com

Yes, this was first reported by Cheryl Kane Heimlich, who runs the blog "Store Reporter." This opening is almost certainly in response to Burger Joint closing there:

Sep 14, 2017 - "Shake Shack Heading to Cabin John [....]" on storereporter.com

As of this writing, there are now thirteen Shake Shack locations in the Baltimore-Washington area. Trying to keep up with them reminds me of what it was like trying to keep up with Starbucks fifteen-years ago (note the first post in that thread) - on any given day, you simply don't know how many there are.

I haven't been there lately, but you have to wonder if this the Introitus to Attman's Requiem.