My first interaction with Shake Shack was at the 2009 Burger Bash at the South Beach Wine and Food Festival. Shack fever was in full bloom in New York, and I was ecstatic to try their signature burger in South Florida.
And then I had it and thought, what’s the fuss all about? I didn’t get it.
The following year, they were back at the 2010 Burger Bash and six months away from opening their second location overall, South Beach. But this time, when I tried it, it was different. I immediately got back in line and got a second Shack Burger…..
Kids……And that’s the story of my love affair with the Shack Burger.
If you’re a first-timer, I suggest you try the single ShackBurger, cheese fries, and the Key Lime Pie, oh My Concrete. It’s a good, solid introduction to what they do best. I prefer their fresh-squeezed lemonade over a soft drink. If you go the hot dog route, do the regular one with their cheese sauce.
Some folks love Shack Shack, and some don’t find anything special about it. To the latter, I say, “Better for me!” Fewer people will be in line to get my food.
There are four Shake Shack restaurants near me, but this is the one I frequent:
Shake Shack
1450 S Dixie Hwy
Coral Gables, FL
(786) 470-3701
Website – https://shakeshack.com/location/coral-gables-fl#
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/shakeshack
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/shakeshackcoralgables
Monday 10:30 am – 11:00 pm
Tuesday 10:30 am – 11:00 pm
Wednesday 10:30 am – 11:00 pm
Thursday 10:30 am – 11:00 pm
Friday 10:30 am – 11:30 pm
Saturday 10:30 am – 11:30 pm
Sunday 10:30 am – 11:00 pm
Shake Shack Table of Contents
Shake Shack Hot Dog Cart
Yes, that’s the original Shake Shack Hot Dog Cart, which they wheeled out every summer between 2001 and 2003 in New York City’s Madison Square Park. Then 2004, the actual Shake Shack stand opened, and the mania ensued.
Until Shake Shack posted this picture, I was beginning to think that there never was a cart or that they were trying to give themselves some street cred.
Oh well, I was wrong. And who needs street cred when you have the Shack Burger anyway?
Shake Shack Menu
The Shake Shack menu has expanded over the years to include all the tasty fellows listed below:
The Chick’n Bites are crispy all-white-meat chicken bites, hand-breaded, and served with BBQ or honey mustard sauce.
Chick’n Shack is an all-natural, antibiotic-free fried chicken breast with lettuce, pickles, and a slathering of herb mayo.
If you care for someone, you keep close tabs on what they’re up to. I knew that Shake Shack had a bacon-topped burger at one of its locations in New York City, and I wondered if it would ever make its way down here.
I asked and asked, and then at the 2012 Burger Bash, Shake Shack served the SmokeShack Burger with American cheese, applewood smoked bacon, cherry pepper relish, and ShackSauce to the thousands in attendance.
Then, I finally got my grubby hands on it and was (and still am) ecstatic. Those who missed it can rest easy, as it’s on the permanent menu.
You’ll notice that the fries and concretes are barely mentioned in this post. It’s not because I dislike them but because my main focus at Shake Shack is the burgers and chicken.
Sometimes, I’m too stuffed to eat anything else but that cheese sauce, though, damn, it’s good.
Shake Shack Hot Chick’n
Let’s not get it twisted; Shake Shack‘s Hot Chick’n is unlike that lethal heat I semi-enjoyed in Nashville at Hattie B’s. The Hot Chick’n is a spiced-up version of their Chick’n Shack sandwich.
By spiced up, I mean heat, as in “Ay mama!” but still manageable. The breaded chicken breasts are dusted with a mix of guajillo chile and cayenne pepper on a Martin’s Potato Roll with cherry pepper slaw and pickles.
It’s not the first time this fella has appeared on the menu. This spicer version of Chick’n Shack appeared for a limited time in 2017 and later in 2018.
But if you’re like me and prefer a level you will regret shortly after eating, there is fire. You’ll need to go through the Shack App, or you can get access to it online.
I made the mistake of ordering through one of these third-party delivery companies, unaware of the fire level’s existence. Please don’t repeat my rookie mistake.
But hot sammy didn’t come alone on this go around; it brought Hot Chick’n Bites, Hot Spicy Fries, and a cheese fries version. There are two levels of heat on the table here: hot and extra hot.
Bites and Fries
Hot Chick’n Bites‘ options for dipping sauces are honey mustard, barbecue, and a new ranch dressing, which now uses that guajillo chile and cayenne pepper mix. I requested Shake Shack for dipping and received the saddest dollop of sauce I’ve ever seen.
Now, the tragedy of the Hot Spicy Cheese Fries is that when you have them delivered, it’s not the same thing as enjoying them at the restaurant. The sauce comes on the side, and you will receive a coagulated version of their delicious cheese sauce.
It’s not their fault (these delivery drivers take forever with their extra stops), but once you warm it up, everything will be right in the world again.
I loved the Hot Chick’n additions to the Shake Shack menu, and I’m looking forward to enjoying them live at the restaurant real soon—hopefully with a double dollop of Shack Sauce for dipping.
Seasonal and Limited Time Menu Items
Chili Menu
The chili cheeseburger was topped with a smoked and slow-braised beef chili with ancho and chile de arbol peppers
The chili cheese dogs were Vienna beef hot dogs topped with smoked and slow-braised beef chili, ancho, and chile de arbol peppers.
The chili cheese crinkle-cut fries were topped with cheese sauce, smoked, and slow-braised beef chili with ancho and chile de arbol peppers.
Dapper Dog
The Dapper Dan was A Vienna all-beef hot dog topped with Shack cheddar and American cheese sauce and crispy ShackMeister Ale marinated shallots
Harry’s Pizzeria Collab
Harry’s Shorty Burger is topped with all of the toppings of Harry’s signature short rib pizza: juicy slow-roasted beef short rib, caramelized onions, arugula, and gruyère cheese
July 4th
The July 4th corn dog was a Vienna dog dipped in corn batter, fried, and served with Rick’s Picks Sweet Corn Relish
Roadside Shack
The Roadside Shack was a 100% all-natural Angus beef cheeseburger topped with caramelized onions simmered in beer and bacon ($6.19 for a single and a double for $8.99).
Shacktoberfest 2011
- Brat Burger – A burger topped with a split & griddled Bratwurst finished with German-style slaw
- ShackMeister Marinated Cheddar Brat – Griddle crisp & served with sauerkraut and grainy mustard
- Currywurst – Griddled & sliced Bratwurst topped with Shack-made curry ketchup and served with fries
Shacktoberfest 2012
- Cheddar Brat Burger – All-natural hamburger topped with a griddled cheddar bratwurst, crispy ShackMeister Ale marinated shallots and ShackSauce
- Spicy Brat – Andouille sausage griddled and served with German-style slaw
- Currywurst –Our spin on the Oktoberfest classic, served on a toasted potato roll and topped with crispy ShackMeister Ale marinated shallots and curry ketchup
- Bavarian Brat – For the purist; a griddled bratwurst topped with Dusseldorf mustard
Shake Shack South Florida Openings
Shake Shack‘s restaurant in Coral Gables opened in the old JJ’s American Diner spot, originally built as a Howard Johnson’s.
The Shack Goes Mobile
Shake Shack launched two food trucks in late February 2019. One mobile vending vehicle is in the greater tri-state area (New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania), and the other is in the Atlanta metro area. The food truck can be booked for events or private parties.
*picture courtesy of Shake Shack
Shake Shack’s Drive-thru in Orlando
Who’s finally jumping into the drive-thru game? If you guessed Shake Shack, you’re spot on.
The fourth Shake Shack drive-thru opened on March 24th, 2022, at 11637 Daryl Carter Parkway in Orlando, Florida. It was slated to be the first drive-thru, but delays prevented that.
This location also features a digital menu board, a two-lane ordering system, and a convenient “ventanita” pick-up window. Customers can order through their website or app, with options for curbside, walk-up, or drive-up pick-up.
The 3,300-square-foot restaurant was built using recycled and sustainable materials, and the outdoor patio will offer plenty of seating for those who enjoy dining al fresco.
Final Thoughts on Shake Shack
This is an excerpt from my book All About the Burger:
Miami wasn’t exactly a hotbed of burger activity until Shake Shack announced the opening of a South Beach location with the tagline MIAMI has a new VICE in neon green. It was November 2009, and two and a half years after their people’s choice win at the Super Bowl of burger competitions, the Burger Bash.
Shake Shack had made a name for itself online with burger fanatics. They had taken the burger concept to its most primordial state, with great simple ingredients in a neon package. The lines for the original stand in New York’s Madison Square Park were ridiculous, and there was even a shack cam so you could go online and see precisely how long the line was.
What’s the Shake Shack Burger like?
The burger was something special. Shake Shack had enlisted wholesale meat purveyor Pat LaFrieda to create a proprietary blend of beef for Shake Shack. Suddenly, everyone had to have a proprietary blend burger on their menu if they were serious about being in the burger business.
The beef was seasoned, then smashed on a stainless-steel flat-top, cooked, and topped with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and ShackSauce on a buttered and toasted Martin’s Potato Roll. Then, it was served in a little wax bag, making eating the ShackBurger easy.
All I would hear my friends visiting New York say was that Shake Shack‘s line was worth the wait. I finally ate a ShackBurger at the South Beach Burger Bash in February 2010. I wasn’t impressed, but a few months later, when they opened up in Miami Beach, I became addicted. Marcela didn’t “get” the Shake Shack love I had. Then, one day, all of a sudden, she was in love, too.
Shake Shack Copycats
Shake Shack was onto something when some haters came out of the woodwork on social media to trash them. Much like White Castle and McDonald’s before them, a wave of imitators sprang up, copying details down to the color scheme, the look of the burger, and the items on the menu.
Shake Shack has now become the gold standard. When they open in a neighborhood, they embrace it by partnering with local businesses on dishes and using locally made products to create a unique frozen custard flavor. Their cult following is now global and similar to the passionate following of In-N-Out.
Shake Shack has shown us what a burger company can be, and in turn, they’ve kicked up the burger game to the next level. A large part of the reason for their success is the three-headed monster that is Danny Meyer (Chairman of the Board), Randy Garutti (CEO), and Mark Rosati (Culinary Director of Shake Shack), arguably the best trio in the food industry.
PS: I do not own any stock in Shake Shack, but I am a giant fan.