Photo by Theresa Stanley
Shake Shack Garutti
Shake Shack – the rapidly growing premium fast-casual franchise that began out of an NYC hot dog cart – officially opens in Lexington today.
Shake Shack’s 131st spot officially opens Thursday just after 11 a.m., the latest of the growing roster of restaurants and stores to formally raise curtains at the city’s new mall, The Summit at Fritz Farm.
“We are pretty exicted to be here,” said CEO Randy Garutti, who was on-hand for the opening festivities, including a Wednesday night gala that included drinks and live music.
Garutti said Shake Shack started working with Birmingham, Alabama-based Bayer Properties two years ago when The Summit was being conceived.
“We just love what they’ve put together in this collection of brands and restaurants, and the feeling and our place within it,” Garutti said. He said Shake Shack is renting its space at The Summit but that the company guided the design, an open and modern mix of glass, steel and wood components.
Shake Shack’s price points match its premium ingredients: Burgers range from about $4.50 for a plain hamburger to nearly $10 for double-paddy burgers; hot dogs cost a bit less, while chicken sandwiches cost about $6. The chain is also known for freshly made frozen custard and its namesake milkshakes. For the Lexington location only, Shake Shack is offering the $7 Bourbon Salted Caramel Shake, which it developed with Maker’s Mark.
Shake Shack’s origins manage to be both humble and high-end: it grew out of a hot dog cart that Garutti established around 2001 as part of an artist’s project. But the food wasn’t just thrown together. It was coming out of the fine dining restaurant Eleven Madison Park, at the time operated by renowned New York chef and restaurateur Danny Meyer. The first Shake Shack was opened 2004 with many more to follow. Now a public company, Shake Shack posted sales of about $250 million last year and is expanding steadily worldwide.
“It’s meant to be a modern version of the old roadside burger stand,” Garutti said.