When word arrived in April of 2015 that Shake Shack, that burger-scented, milkshake-flavored, obsessed-over eatery from the other coast would soon arrive in Southern California, some fast-foodies had to think that it was an April Fool's Joke of some sort.
The joke was on nobody, however, and the ketchup was on the fries, for Shake Shack really and truly had sights set on West Hollywood, and Glendale, for down-the-road openings.
Those debuts are still-down-the-road-ish, but take happy heart, downtowners, for you're about to get the third SoCal Shake Shack at 801 Hill Street.
The opening won't be quite as fast as, say, downing a cup of Shake Shack's famous frozen custard; 2017 is the word, which sounds far-off but, really, as a reminder, is just next year. (Just in case you're still struggling to figure out how it isn't, like, 2007 but, rather, 2016. 2016!)
It'll be a biggin', as far as fast-fooderies go. Eater LA puts the square-footage at over 3,000 feet, which means you and your burger-craving buds'll have some tables to choose from.
Ah, yes: If you haven't eaten at a Shake Shack before, which began in New York City as a hot dog stand in 2004, burgers are kind of The Thing, in addition to the shakes in the name, and other classic, made-well/made-quickly standards, plus the aforementioned frozen custard.
It's a chain that's grown impressively over its decade-plus-a-couple-of-years: Shake Shack is now in places like Maryland, Georgia, and even Nevada, which is the easiest spot for Californians on the road to give the place its initial interview. ("Initial interview," of course, means trying it out on a knowledgeable friend's recommendation, because just about everyone has that friend who has already eaten there and looooves it.)
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Here's a riddle to keep you busy before the SoCal Shake Shacks start cutting those opening-day ribbons: Are there more days between today and the day the downtown Shake Shack opens or more fries at a table of ten friends dining together at the now famous chain?
Hmm. That's a head-scratcher, so best keep tabs on all the Shake-Shackery at the company's Twitter HQ.
