Is the line at Shake Shack worth it??

RE: Is the line at Shake Shack worth it?? (Foodbme)

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 03:45:41 GMT

If they were in any other city without the human density of a NYC would they make it? My guess is probably not. They would be just an average hamburger stand.

RE: Is the line at Shake Shack worth it?? (tkitna)

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 03:17:44 GMT

I was at NY a few months ago with my son and we hit up the one in the city for a couple of Root Beer floats and the line was pretty crazy. I'd say a half hour wait for a burger. Burgers looked pretty good from what I could tell though.

RE: Is the line at Shake Shack worth it?? (MiamiDon)

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 13:55:06 GMT

I went to look at the Shack Cam for the original location, but I can't figure out where the line goes. Maybe the camera needs re-aiming.

The line on Miami Beach is not nearly as long as I have seen in photos from the Madison Square Park location, although it was a bit crazy when they first opened.

No, I haven't eaten there. It's always been the wrong time of day, or rainy or too hot or I was going to a meal elsewhere! Anyway, I've never eaten at the original, so I couldn't compare them.
D'oh! I just figured out this an ancient thread.

RE: Is the line at Shake Shack worth it?? (michaelcarraher)

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 13:23:35 GMT

Are the lines still this bad at the original location?
What are lines likes at the other (newer) locations?
Are the burgers, custards, hot dogs, etc ... as good at the other locations?

RE: Is the line at Shake Shack worth it?? (Tony Bad)

Thu, 21 Jul 2011 13:37:43 GMT

waltpiii

Is the Shake Shack at Saratoga Race Track as good or as bad as the one in NYC?

Walt

Don't know, but the one at Citi Field (I'm calling it Shea) is close to original if that is any help. Seems to me they are trying hard to keep quality the same.

RE: Is the line at Shake Shack worth it?? (waltpiii)

Thu, 21 Jul 2011 12:40:43 GMT

Is the Shake Shack at Saratoga Race Track as good or as bad as the one in NYC?

Walt

RE: Is the line at Shake Shack worth it?? (The Travelin Man)

Thu, 21 Jul 2011 11:49:41 GMT

This must be the week where I resurrect three-year old threads.

There was a Roadfood Digest article recently that discussed that Shake Shack was moving into Connecticut, with their first store in Westport. Today's New York Post (the Weekly World News of New York dailies, for sure) is reporting that Shake Shack is in negotiations to secure a location at the Grand Central Terminal in the dining concourse.

I LOVE the dining concourse at Grand Central. If I were building a mall, that whole section, taken as a group, might make the single best food court in the United States.

RE: Is the line at Shake Shack worth it?? (NYNM)

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 11:50:35 GMT

quote:
Originally posted by David_NYC

Robearjr,

NYNM's theme throughout this thread is trying to figure out why so many people are willing to wait on line for so long a period of time. What has not been brought out is that this is not the only place in the neighborhood to eat or get takeout. A two block stretch of 23rd Street at the southern boundary of the park has a food establishment in just about every storefront. There are many other places to eat or do take out within a 3 minute walk from the Shake Shack. Plenty of paid journalists have written about the place, but no one has profiled who the patrons are. The place is in a small public park, so they really can't take over more parkland.

Yes David, that is exactly my theme. It is the old market researcher in me. I work on W. 20th so I see this and other street behavior every day. I really like to compare Shake Shack lines (Hipsters, Yuppies) to the gyro cart line (construction workers) a block away. Not to mention Jamba Juice, three sandwich shops, etc. on 5th Ave bet. 22 & 23, then at 20th, Bravo Pizza which also has a line out the door and Epicurean Gorumet (where I usually go) next to Bravo. I don't even go on to 23rd which I know has lots more Lunch time is wild!!!

Personally I find Shake Shack the most obnoxious.

RE: Is the line at Shake Shack worth it?? (Robearjr)

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 11:17:26 GMT

I understand the context. I just think the cost - waiting in a line to talk to people about why they are waiting in a line - is far greater than the benefit - finding out why said people are waiting in said line.

RE: Is the line at Shake Shack worth it?? (David_NYC)

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 10:38:47 GMT

Robearjr,

NYNM's theme throughout this thread is trying to figure out why so many people are willing to wait on line for so long a period of time. What has not been brought out is that this is not the only place in the neighborhood to eat or get takeout. A two block stretch of 23rd Street at the southern boundary of the park has a food establishment in just about every storefront. There are many other places to eat or do take out within a 3 minute walk from the Shake Shack. Plenty of paid journalists have written about the place, but no one has profiled who the patrons are. The place is in a small public park, so they really can't take over more parkland. My reply was in response to this post of NYNM:

quote:
Originally posted by NYNM

OK guys Shake Shack seems open for the 2008 Summer Season. I passed today about 6:30 pm and there really was a huge (HUGE) line: as you may know, there is only one window open (and one for ice cream/custard) and service is pretty slow because burgers are cooked to order. Anyway, I counted OVER 100 (hundred) people waiting on one line!!!!

I have tried their burgers now 3 or 4 times, and I am not that impressed. They seemed pretty thin, almost like McDonald's so you have to order a "double" to get anything substantial. This 100+ line has got to be an hour's wait. For a burger.

I don't get it. PR???

RE: Is the line at Shake Shack worth it?? (Robearjr)

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 09:03:46 GMT

quote:
Originally posted by David_NYC

NYNM,

I've got an idea about how to find out why people will wait behind another 100 people to order a burger, hot dogs, etc. I might try it myself if I have some time and the tree pollen level lets off a bit. Get on the line. After about 15 minutes, start up a conversation with other people on the line. Find out if they are local, Bridge and Tunnel folks, NYU/New School/FIT students, or tourists. Ask them what they know about the burgers and franks there. The, excuse yourself to make a pay phone call because you left your cell phone home. Get on the back of the line and repeat the procedure. Best of all, this is FREE, because you can always "walk" before placing your order. We know there are plenty of other places to eat in the area, from Eisenberg's (reviewed here on Roadfood) to all major FF franchises, to New York Burger Company. Yes, the Chicago dogs and shakes are unique. Could this be the draw, and not the burgers?

It is one thing to wait in a long line for a burger. It is another to keep on waiting in long line to strike up conversations about why people are waiting in the line. This reminds of of a South Park when the kids go to the fair and they go on the "Line Ride", which is just waiting in a line.

Someone else made a comment about 5 Guys. Not that I've ever been to Shake Shack, but the minute I started reading about this place I figured it couldn't be that much different from 5 Guys.

RE: Is the line at Shake Shack worth it?? (NYNM)

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 00:28:46 GMT

quote:
Originally posted by Pigiron

quote:
Originally posted by NYNM

OK guys Shake Shack seems open for the 2008 Summer Season.

It's been open since January.

That I know. The "Summer Season" referred to the finally nice warmer weather (that brings out the line standers)

RE: Is the line at Shake Shack worth it?? (David_NYC)

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 00:22:48 GMT

NYNM,

I've got an idea about how to find out why people will wait behind another 100 people to order a burger, hot dogs, etc. I might try it myself if I have some time and the tree pollen level lets off a bit. Get on the line. After about 15 minutes, start up a conversation with other people on the line. Find out if they are local, Bridge and Tunnel folks, NYU/New School/FIT students, or tourists. Ask them what they know about the burgers and franks there. The, excuse yourself to make a pay phone call because you left your cell phone home. Get on the back of the line and repeat the procedure. Best of all, this is FREE, because you can always "walk" before placing your order. We know there are plenty of other places to eat in the area, from Eisenberg's (reviewed here on Roadfood) to all major FF franchises, to New York Burger Company. Yes, the Chicago dogs and shakes are unique. Could this be the draw, and not the burgers?

RE: Is the line at Shake Shack worth it?? (billyboy)

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 14:23:49 GMT

NYNM,

my gf and I went there at the end of March. Here's my write-up.

http://roadfood.com/Forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=26425

I think it's worth waiting in line for 15-20 minutes, but I wouldn't wait an hour for it. If they're gonna have a "B" line for custard only, then they should have it staffed and dedicated just for that.

RE: Is the line at Shake Shack worth it?? (GB944)

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 12:37:43 GMT

quote:
Originally posted by NYNM

I don't get it. PR???

You don't have to get it... Keep walking!

That said, you can time your visit for when the lines are shorter.

RE: Is the line at Shake Shack worth it?? (Pigiron)

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 10:35:48 GMT

Additionally....Shake Shack's 2nd location is opening within the next few months (77th and Columbus).

They will also most likely have an outpost at CitiField, the new home of the Mets, beginning in April of 2009. If you thought the line were long in Madison Square Park...

RE: Is the line at Shake Shack worth it?? (Pigiron)

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 10:33:15 GMT

quote:
Originally posted by NYNM

OK guys Shake Shack seems open for the 2008 Summer Season.

It's been open since January.

RE: Is the line at Shake Shack worth it?? (NYNM)

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 23:15:29 GMT

OK guys Shake Shack seems open for the 2008 Summer Season. I passed today about 6:30 pm and there really was a huge (HUGE) line: as you may know, there is only one window open (and one for ice cream/custard) and service is pretty slow because burgers are cooked to order. Anyway, I counted OVER 100 (hundred) people waiting on one line!!!!

I have tried their burgers now 3 or 4 times, and I am not that impressed. They seemed pretty thin, almost like McDonald's so you have to order a "double" to get anything substantial. This 100+ line has got to be an hour's wait. For a burger.

I don't get it. PR???

RE: Is the line at Shake Shack worth it?? (David_NYC)

Mon, 18 Jun 2007 17:22:17 GMT

Today, I passed the burger place I mentioned in my post of May 19th. It is the 303 Park Avenue South branch of New York Burger Co. I checked the archives and see that NYMN posted about the branch at 678 6th Avenue back in 2005:
http://www.roadfood.com/Forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=9543

I passed the 23rd/24th Sreet one today at 1:00 PM, peak Manhattan lunch hour for office workers, and saw no line. I then timed how long it would take to walk to the Shake Shack, and it was 2 1/2 minutes. Like NYMN, I like NYBC's burgers. So, if you want to eat a burger in the park and watch the dogs playing in the run or watch the birds (both the ones that fly and the human variety) buy your burger elsewhere and take it to the park. If you look at the map on the locations page of NYBC's website:
http://www.newyorkburgerco.com/html/locations.html
and draw a line between their two locations, you will see a contiguous three square block area on the map. That is Madison Square park.

I just looked over their current printed menu. I don't know it if was always on the menu, but they also sell two varieties of "Grilled Vienna All Beef Hot Dogs", Chili Dog, and New York dog with onions and relish or sauerkraut.

Edited to include info about hot dogs.

RE: Is the line at Shake Shack worth it?? (NYNM)

Thu, 14 Jun 2007 16:32:23 GMT

One last cranky comment about Shake Shack. Today I went over to buy a scoop of their custard, a daily special of "salted caramel." The line was short-ish, maybe 10 people. However, Shake Shack does have a "B" line which is supposed to be for custard only (no longer "orders"). I gave my order for one scoopof custard to the counterperson and she gave me back a buzzer!! This meant I would have to wait 15 min. with the hamburger lines and other cooked foods. The custard was right in front of her.

I told her I didn't want to wait 15 min. for a scoop of custard. She looked at me annoyingly, said she was working "both lines" and then asked the woman standing next to her to get me a scoop, which took about 10 seconds. Like, it was too much trouble for her to do that in the first place. I am really put off by this treatment that you should get bad service, and be greatful because it is SS!!!

OK I git that off my chest.

RE: Is the line at Shake Shack worth it?? (eggsactley)

Sat, 09 Jun 2007 08:48:31 GMT

RE: Is the line at Shake Shack worth it?? (doggydaddy)

Mon, 04 Jun 2007 19:09:52 GMT

There is a Shake Shack webcam. At the time of this post, you can walk right up. I bet this is helpfull if you are in an office nearby and wondering if you could squeeze in lunch.

http://shakeshacknyc.com/camera.html

The menu reads fairly nicely, prices seem reasonable.

mark

RE: Is the line at Shake Shack worth it?? (NYNM)

Mon, 04 Jun 2007 18:49:18 GMT

We had really bad weather in NYC today so I passed by SS and saw (almost) no line. I thought I'd try again. 5 min in line, 15 min wait after, but again, the burgers were just so so. Actually way too thin "patties" - you really need a double. I tried a "concrete" today, but it reminded me of Cold Stone Creamery: ice cream with mix ins. I guess I'm just not a Shake Sheck fan.

RE: Is the line at Shake Shack worth it?? (Benzee)

Fri, 01 Jun 2007 18:47:05 GMT

Hello all ,

The Daily News did a story on the Shake Shack a few days ago . Hamburgers in NYC story .

I have not tried it yet but as a NewYorker I refuse to stand in line for more than a few minutes . Let the tourists have their fun .

My reports are mediocre to good depending on tastes , but add in the waits and fuggeettaabout iiit

Benzee

RE: Is the line at Shake Shack worth it?? (enginecapt)

Fri, 01 Jun 2007 13:08:04 GMT

I wonder why they don't offer any NY wine selections on their menu? It's mostly California. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

RE: Is the line at Shake Shack worth it?? (Tony Bad)

Fri, 01 Jun 2007 12:13:25 GMT

I saw[url='http://www.ahamburgertoday.com/archives/2007/05/shacklash_in_the_new_york_post.php']THIS[/url] today and thought of this thread.

RE: Is the line at Shake Shack worth it?? (CajunKing)

Thu, 31 May 2007 12:17:20 GMT

NYNM

you can always check out the line ahead of time
[url='http://shakeshacknyc.com/camera.html']shack camera[/url]

That way you know if it is worth the wait to go there or not

RE: Is the line at Shake Shack worth it?? (UrbanSpaceman)

Thu, 31 May 2007 07:54:19 GMT

Having been there only once, I'd say the Shack Burger was decent... but nothing special. Nothing better than what you can get at Five Guys at least, though I'm not sure if there's a Five Guys in NYC. Certainly not worth the wait. I would be interested, however, in getting their custard from their shorter, "summer" line on the side of the place.

RE: Is the line at Shake Shack worth it?? (phlmaestro2000)

Wed, 30 May 2007 19:14:52 GMT

I tried to go when I was in NYC a month or so ago and walked away when I saw what had to be the longest line for food that I've ever seen. It seemed to go on forever. Of course, it was a nice Sunday afternoon; but not living in NYC, I have to try and go when I'm in the area.

I did try a vanilla custard cone from them last year and was actually a little disappointed. It was excellent in terms of texture, but was lacking a bit in terms of vanilla flavor. It tasted a little bland.

RE: Is the line at Shake Shack worth it?? (drpep)

Wed, 30 May 2007 19:02:19 GMT

Some some replies about the above mentioned article at www.ahamburgertoday.com