10 Things You Didn't Know About Shake Shack (Slideshow)
The menu changes daily, with lots of varieties unique to each location, even internationally. Gotta try them all!
Each Menu is Slightly Different
The "concretes" sold at each location are unique to the location.
There’s a Secret Menu
As we've extensively covered, the friendly folks at Shake Shack will be more than happy to whip up just about anything you can think of as long as it uses the ingredients on hand, from a grilled cheese with tomato sandwich to a "Chicago-style" burger.
They Serve Breakfast, But Only in One Airport
If you happen to find yourself inside Delta's Terminal 4 at New York's JFK Airport before 11 a.m., you can snag yourself the only breakfast served by Shake Shack at their two locations there. Offerings include sausage, egg, and cheese; bacon, egg, and cheese; and egg and cheese — and all eggs are cage-free and from Niman Ranch.
They Won the 2014 Burger Bash
Their special creation for the 2014 South Beach Wine and Food Festival, a cheeseburger topped with beer-marinated crispy shallots and Shack Sauce called the MeisterShack, won the Burger Bash, and we can tell you from experience that it was good.
Paint Scrapers are Used to Flip the Patties
Their burgers are made by taking a ball of fresh-ground beef and "masking" it down onto the flat-top, giving it that trademark crust. It's not easy to pry them off of the griddle due to the fact that they're stuck on there, so paint scrapers needed to be brought in to flip them. Works like a charm!
They Have Their Own Signature Wine and Beer
Frog's Leap Winery makes exclusive red and white wines for the chain, and Brooklyn Brewery created a beer especially for them as well, called Shackmeister Ale.
They Run a Group Running Club and a Table Tennis League
Once a month in New York, Philadelphia, and D.C., Shack Track and Field sponsors a group run where participants get free burgers and beers at the end of it. There's also a table tennis league that's open to the public in Coral Gables, Florida. Tournaments are held monthly, and the winner gets a $75 gift card.
There Was a Short-Lived Switch to Hand-Cut Fries
Because the original location was so small, there was no space to hand-cut fries, so they were forced to use frozen crinkle-cut fries, which left some wanting. In response, last year they announced that all new locations would serve hand-cut fries, and existing locations would be retrofitted with a hand-cutting station. Unfortunately, that didn't go so well, and they switched back to the original fries shortly thereafter.
They Catered a Wedding…
...But don't expect them to cater yours. In order to win the ultimate wedding prize, one couple created a YouTube video that got national attention and the chain took notice.