This past March, Shake Shack introduced its East Coast brand
of roadside burgers to Los Angeles, an area committed to an In-N-Out diet. The
restaurant flanked Angelenos last week by opening its second location, this time
near the Americana at Brand in Glendale.
The burger empire made its way west when Shake Shack debuted
its first California location in West Hollywood along busy Santa Monica
Boulevard. The Glendale location opened Friday to an eager crowd willing to wait
in long lines for a fresh take on the sub-$10 burger.
Shake Shack´s appeal is its fast-casual approach to dining
with authentic ingredients as well as its humble origins as a Manhattan hotdog
cart. The restaurant promises to maintain the same quality of burger that´s
made it famous despite the cross-country move. The New York burger chain
currently operates in 13 states, and it has several international locations.
For those who have been to the West Hollywood location,
expect much of the same experience, right down to the architecture. The menu is
one of a veritable burger joint bolstered by frozen custard and a local
beer-and-wine selection.
The Glendale spot also shares the L.A.-exclusive roadside
double, “a double Swiss cheeseburger topped with Dijon mustard and onions
simmered in bacon and beer,” according to a company statement.
Christina Ryan, who lives in Echo Park, was on her way Tuesday
to Legacy Comics and Cards located near the Americana. She skipped the
opening-day lines for a more relaxed afternoon visit to Shake Shack.
“I like having another option for burgers,” Ryan
said. “I´ll definitely come back whenever I´m in the area.”
For patrons dining in, the location offers booths made from
lumber and hand-crafted tabletops built from reclaimed bowling alley lanes.
Those wanting to do something charitable with their food
experience or need to offset the guilt of enjoying a burger and dessert, Shake
Shack donates 5% of its Glendale-exclusive thick frozen custard, called the
Invictus, to Ascencia, a nonprofit that provides services to the homeless in
the greater Glendale area.
Shake Shack, along with neighbor Philz Coffee, are part of a
spate of eateries opening near the Americana. A Greenleaf is scheduled to open
in mid-October, and an expansion of the downtown L.A. favorite Eggslut should
be up and running in late fall of this year. Los Angeles is expecting another
Shake Shack sometime in 2017.
The Glendale Shake Shack is open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
daily. It´s located at 252 S. Brand Blvd., across from the Americana at Brand.