Bay Area’s first Shake Shack: Palo Alto
Shake Shack, the cult-favorite burger restaurant that started out as a hot dog cart in New York’s Madison Square Park, is finally coming to the Bay Area.
The first restaurant will go in at Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto, with a look reminiscent of that first Shake Shack. According to spokeswoman Kristyn Clark, the Wells Fargo bank on site will be transformed into the restaurant, with hopes of turning the small plot of land next to it into an outdoor park with stringed lights, games and outdoor seating. A fall opening is envisioned.
Shake Shack founder Danny Meyer’s original park venture, despite the lure of the hot dogs, quickly became known for its all-natural Angus beef burgers. However, there’s still an all-natural Vienna beef “flat-top dog” on the menu — along with cagefree chicken sandwiches, crinkle-cut french fries, a popular array of frozen custards made fresh daily from non-GMO ingredients, plus wine and beer.
“Throughout our team’s over 30-year history in fine dining at Union Square Hospitality Group, we’ve long admired the talented chefs, winemakers and artisans of the Bay Area’s vibrant food scene,” Randy Garutti, Shake Shack CEO, said in a statement. “It is with great respect and humility that we enter that landscape, deepen our West Coast roots, and bring a new community gathering place to this iconic city after so many years.”
By iconic city, he means San Francisco. The company does have long-range plans for locations in the Marina district there and in Marin County.
To check out menus and follow the expansion progress, go to www.shakeshack.com.