“Shake Shack” impresses with convenience, efficacy, and quality

Allegra Papera

Staff Writer

Convenience, efficiency, and quality are three key components that make “Shake Shack” an east-coast favorite.

“Shake Shack”’s natural ingredients, unique menu and efficient service create an all-around pleasant dining experience. The chain’s combination of genuine quality ingredients and productivity set itself apart from other fast food restaurants.

“Shake Shack” is a hamburger and hotdog chain founded in New York City in 2004 after initially proving a massive success operating as a single hotdog stand located in the city’s Madison Square Park. The fast food chain without any drive-thrus has since become the east coast’s equivalent to the west coast’s “In-N-Out” and has expanded nationally and internationally, most recently, to West Hollywood.

The restaurant’s menu provides enough variety to set itself apart from other fast food restaurants. In addition to its popular Shack burger, “Shake Shack” also offers mushroom burgers, hotdogs, chicken sandwiches, breakfast sandwiches, and proves pet-friendly with their dog treats. The menu also offers impressive dessert options for any customer with a sweet tooth: an array of milkshakes and freshly spun frozen custards that vary monthly.

Additionally, “Shake Shack” prides itself on its all-natural freshly ground beef and non-GMO potato roll bun that combine to create a delectable burger with distinctly rich flavors. The burgers also include freshly cut tomatoes whose thicker slices offer a vitality that is not equaled at other fast food restaurants. Shake Shack offers impressively crisp crinkle cut Yukon gold potato fries whose quality and perfect salty flavor also surpass those of its west coast competition, In-N-Out.

“Shake Shack”’s initial success as a mere hotdog stand was due to its accessibility and efficient service, and it still continues to run that way even as a growing chain. The restaurant runs simply, where customers can order meals at the front counter and are given a buzzer that it notifies them when the meal is ready. Even when it is most crowded, “Shake Shack” provides customers with their meals within a reasonable timespan, usually somewhere between 5 and 15 minutes.

“Shake Shack”’s modern interior design is appealing with the combination wood and metallic paneling, creating a comfortable yet tidy environment. Additionally, each location adapts and uses its surroundings to its advantage, such as placing seats in New York City’s Madison Square park or offering something as simple as a window’s view perfect for people-watching or taking i the city’s scenery.

Despite “Shake Shack”’s impressively delicious foods, the chain still lacks a variety of locations. While they do seem to be slowly expanding, Shake Shack is still majorly condensed on the United States’ east-coast, robbing other regions of its quality food.

Overall, Shake Shack is a highly satisfying fast food restaurant chain whose fresh ingredients, bold flavors and efficient service make tough competition for contending restaurants, including In-N-Out. Despite its minor flaw of slow expansion, Shake Shack provides a simple and reliable dining experience that has potential to become another west coast favorite.

“Shake Shack”’s West Hollywood location is located at 8520 Santa Monica Blvd. The restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and from 11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday.