The wait is over. East Coast burger favorite Shake Shack will open its first Bay Area location this Saturday, Dec. 15, at Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto.
The newest outpost will serve the classics that Shake Shack is known for — straightforward Angus beef cheeseburgers served on squishy-soft Martin's potato rolls, a fried chicken sandwich, crinkle-cut fries and the dessert concretes — plus new menu items exclusive to Palo Alto.
Look for the Golden State Double burger made from local products: two patties made from Moraga-based Richards Grassfed Beef in partnership with Cream Co. Meats in Oakland, white cheddar, smoked garlic aioli and bread and butter pickles from McVicker Pickles, all on a sweet potato bun from San Francisco institution Tartine Bakery. The specialty burger will be available daily in limited quantities.
Local partnerships also spawned new custard concrete flavors, including the MB Malt, made from vanilla custard, whole-wheat chocolate-chip walnut cookies from Los Gatos-based Manresa Bread and fudge sauce; the Shack Attack with chocolate custard, fudge sauce, chocolate truffle cookie dough and Dandelion Chocolate dark chocolate chunks, all topped with chocolate sprinkles; and the Pie Oh My, vanilla custard with slices of seasonal pie from Pie Dreams in Fremont.
There will also be local beer and wine, including from Fort Point Beer Co. in San Francisco, Broc Cellars in Berkeley, Brea Wine Co. in Colorado (a natural wine company) and Robert Sinskey Vineyards in Napa.
Shake Shack's burgers — hotly debated as In-N-Out's East Coast competition — are made from a proprietary blend of all-natural Angus beef, per the company's website. All burgers are cooked medium unless otherwise requested and served on the potato roll from Martin's in Pennsylvania.
There's also the Smoke Shack, a single or double cheeseburger topped with all-natural applewood smoked bacon, chopped cherry pepper and ShackSauce; the vegetarian 'Shroom Burger, a fried portobello mushroom filled with melted Muenster and cheddar cheeses and topped with lettuce, tomato and ShackSauce; and flat-top hot dogs, a nod to Shake Shack's more humble beginnings as a hot dog cart in New York City.
Founder Danny Meyer, now a renowned restaurateur and CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group in New York City, opened that hot dog cart as part of a public art installation meant to revive Madison Square Park in 2001. The cart became a permanent kiosk three years later.
The company has come a long way since then, with more than 200 locations across the world and a "cult-like following," a press release states. There are Shake Shacks in 26 states and in more than 70 international locations from London and Hong Kong to Dubai and Moscow. The company is already planning more than 35 openings in 2019, according to a spokesperson.
Shake Shack announced in January that it would be coming to the Bay Area, first to Palo Alto and later to San Francisco and Marin County. The company is also planning to open at the Mineta San Jose International Airport in 2020.
Palo Alto marks Shake Shack's 130th location in the United States and 202nd location worldwide.
At the Palo Alto Shake Shack, customers can place their orders on touch-screen kiosks, then pick up their food from a window in front of the kitchen. Despite the use of technology, human touch is front and center to the Shake Shack hospitality philosophy created by Meyer.
A sneak-peek event on Wednesday night wasn't called a media preview, but rather a "housewarming." Attentive, polite staff roamed the restaurant taking orders and picking up finished food, eagerly asking diners about which burger they liked the best and if they would like ice with their water. Shake Shack is known for successfully integrating fine-dining service into a fast-food setting.
When the company hires, they look for character and personality over technical skills, Shake Shack Culinary Director Mark Rosati said in an interview at the new restaurant.
"We try to find people who if they're walking through the dining room of a Shack and they see a discarded napkin, they're compelled to stop and pick it up and throw it away. We can't train that," he said.
Rosati, who comes from the New York City fine-dining world and has been with the company since 2007, said he feels Shake Shack needs the Bay Area more than we need them.
"I've seen a big change in the burger culture here," he said in an interview at the new restaurant on Wednesday evening. "Now, there are a lot of people doing it at a high level." (Two of his favorites include True Laurel in San Francisco and Kronnerburger in Oakland.)
The Bay Area is also now home to more Michelin-starred restaurants than New York City.
"We know the bar is high," Rosati said. "We want to make sure we exceed that bar."
Shake Shack will open at 11 a.m on Saturday. The first 100 people in line will get to take home a complimentary Shake Shack travel bag.
On opening day, 25 percent of proceeds as well 5 percent of sales from the Pie Oh My concrete will be donated to La Cocina, a San Francisco nonprofit that mentors low-income food entrepreneurs, primarily women from immigrant communities and communities of color.
The 2,491 square-foot Palo Alto Shake Shack is located at 180 El Camino Real, Suite #950 (next to P.F. Chang's).
Comments
Mountain View
on Dec 13, 2018 at 10:38 am
on Dec 13, 2018 at 10:38 am
Before you eat there you might want to read the below link.
Web Link
Registered user
Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Dec 13, 2018 at 1:39 pm
Registered user
on Dec 13, 2018 at 1:39 pm
Killjoy.
130 restaurants, one disgruntled with an as yet unproven claim worker. What’s your point? That no one should eat there? What, are you the guy’s cousin?
Read this instead.
Web Link
Charleston Gardens
on Dec 13, 2018 at 3:20 pm
on Dec 13, 2018 at 3:20 pm
Too much fast food in America. No wonder people so fat. Need to eat less fried meat and more vegetables for healthy diet.
Most fast food places do not care about good nutrition.
Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Dec 13, 2018 at 3:40 pm
on Dec 13, 2018 at 3:40 pm
Posted by AllYouCanEat, a resident of Mountain View
>> Before you eat there you might want to read the below link.
I -never- eat at fast food places, but, I have to ask you, "what is your alternative"? Because, if you are going to eat at a fast food place, Shake Shack might be better for you, and, definitely is better for the environment, than, say McDonald's or Burger King.
IOW, "read this first":
Web Link
Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Dec 13, 2018 at 4:44 pm
on Dec 13, 2018 at 4:44 pm
I never open unknown links, what is the jist of it,
Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Dec 13, 2018 at 4:59 pm
on Dec 13, 2018 at 4:59 pm
>> what is the jist of it,
As I said, I avoid fast food. And that goes double for fast food hamburgers.
But:
"A new report assigned “failing grades” to 22 of the 25 largest burger chains in the U.S. over their policies on antibiotics use in the production of the beef they serve. The report was co-authored by researchers from a range of public-interest organizations including U.S. PIRG, Consumer Reports and the Natural Resources Defense Council, among others.
"Only two of the restaurants analyzed — Shake Shack SHAK, +0.96% and BurgerFi — received “A” grades. Both only serve beef raised without antibiotics. Only Shake Shack and Wendy’s made third-party independent auditing reports public regarding antibiotics use among their producers. "
another community
on Dec 28, 2018 at 8:51 am
on Dec 28, 2018 at 8:51 am
Thank you, Elena, for a great update on a fast changing, ultra-competitive (and tricky) Silicon Valley Restaurant Industry. Many of us are not afraid to "grab a burger" once in a while, and Stanford Mall is the perfect place for Shake Shack. But .... those who do not like that cuisine should not impose their values on others. Hope you guys have a great 2019!
Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Dec 28, 2018 at 8:45 pm
on Dec 28, 2018 at 8:45 pm
Re Wu Shen's assertion: "Too much fast food in America. No wonder people so fat. Need to eat less fried meat and more vegetables for healthy diet."
Actually, it's all the carbs, butter, cream, dairy, fried foods, alcohol, and sweets of the American diet that are leading to obesity. If everyone would drink just water, that would help tremendously. Alcohol and sugary drinks are a huge culprit in calorie consumption.
Also to blame is some of the American parenting: "No dessert until you eat your food" . . . desserts after every dinner. "You get a candy for being good" . . . raising them to desire candy. And the partying culture of alcohol consumption. Look at the snack aisle and it's mostly carbohydrates, which all turn into sugar, then into calories.
In addition, the massive overeating of Americans is to blame. Everyone overeats, but the severe overeating and overdrinking leads to obesity.
Cut back on bread, pasta, carbs, and drink water only and it's a guaranteed weight loss. But remember to eat meat for its protein to help stay full.
Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Dec 28, 2018 at 8:51 pm
on Dec 28, 2018 at 8:51 pm
Posted by It's Simple, a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood
>> ... sugar ...
>> Cut back on bread, pasta, carbs, and drink water only and it's a guaranteed weight loss. But remember to eat meat for its protein to help stay full.
IOW, at Shake Shack, skip the shakes (and fries), stick to the burgers, and drink water? Good idea, but, it does make the name Shake Shack seem odd.
Another Palo Alto neighborhood
on Dec 28, 2018 at 8:57 pm
on Dec 28, 2018 at 8:57 pm
No, Anon, I'm talking about the general everyday eating. Gotta have the Shake Shack burger with fries and shake! Just don't eat a huge plate of Alfredo sauce pasta at the next meal! Moderate.