Shake Shack opens in RiNo »8C
After visiting their first Shake Shack on a trip to Las Vegas last year, Brighton’s Rash family salivated at the thought of the New York City burger chain’s opening day in RiNo. So much so, in fact, that the family of four showed up at 8:45 a.m. on its opening day Wednesday, earning themselves the honor of being first in line for a taste of Colorado’s first Shake Shack — and even beating some employees there.
“They told us, ‘You do realize we don’t open till 11, right?’ ” said Cherie Rash, 39.
By the time 10:30 a.m. rolled around, a line of about 50 people had snaked behind them and around the corner of 30th street.
Across the street, employees at Modern Nomad, a multi-tenant interior design retail space, looked on at the hungry mass packing the sidewalk.
“I kind of wish it would happen with other small businesses,” said 28-yearold Tara Lovato, owner of Modern Nomad’s La Lovely Vintage store. “I would have liked to have seen a giant line for Denver Central Market’s opening. It’s funny to see a corporation pop up and everybody’s like, ‘Oh that’s great!’ Let’s rally around small businesses, too.”
Still, Lovato echoed fellow tenants’ sentiments in welcoming the restaurant to the area, hoping it will bring more business to Modern Nomad and other spots in the neighborhood, like the recently opened Barcelona Wine Bar.
“We went to the soft opening yesterday, and it was absolutely amazing,” Lovato said of Shake Shack. “But it doesn’t compare to Meadow Lark. That’s the best burger in the world.”
Many in line Wednesday might have disagreed.
As 11 a.m. approached, a fleeting calm settled over Shake Shack’s PR reps and employees, who got one last pep talk from a manager. Moments later, Denver City Councilman Albus Brooks — conspicuous in a suave blue suit that you would not want to spill ketchup on — cut the grand-opening ribbon, ushering Denver into what some would consider a new era of burger-hood.
Already inside, two lucky Shake Shack super fans, Marisa Martinez and Jane Bagwell, looked on. Martinez is a Shake Shack sojourner, having visited 14 locations in 11 cities across two countries. (The chain has locations everywhere from Tokyo to Turkey.) The two drove up from Dallas for the day specifically for the opening.
Martinez first learned about the chain on a visit to New York a few years ago.
“Two bites in, I fell in love with the burger,” she said. The day Dallas’ first location opened, she was in the front of the line. They’ve since opened two more in the city; she eats at at least one of the three each week. “We joke that all three locations share custody of me.”
Shortly after 11, the doors opened, and customers streamed in by the dozens to join Martinez and Bagwell. Camera crews, photographers and reporters scrambled to take in the feeding frenzy. According to one Shake Shack representative, the chain moved 200 burgers in the first hour.
The Rash family and one of their friends communed around one of the restaurant’s sleek wood-andsteel dining tables. Their verdict?
“It was worth the wait,” said dad Tim, who ordered the Colorado-exclusive Green Chile CheddarShack burger. But he was perhaps an easier sell than daughter Allison, 10, who is a grilled cheese aficionado.
She gave Shake Shack’s crustless grilled cheese sandwich high marks. “Ten out of ten. It’s super cheesy.”