Shake Shack comes with certain expectations. A single patty doused with cheese melting onto plastic wrappings. Talk of folks waiting in long-ass lines in the middle of winter just to get a taste. Actually experiencing said wait in said long line to get a taste of something you've only heard about. If the lunch line shenanigans are any indication, I’m sure the Madison Square Park location does well, but is the damn thing worth it?
I can't tell you how much this burger is worth it! I'm no slouch either; I go to fancy joints and lace my burgers with foie gras and truffles. But who needs all that when you can go get a specially seasoned patty or two with fixings of lettuce, tomato, cheese, mayo, ketchup, mustard or whatever on potato bread. And that’s just the burgers. Wait, did I mention the potato bread!? They also have an assortment of hot dogs aptly named Shack Cago Dogs, in addition to shakes and fries to round out their versions of all American classics. Not to mention you can get your beer or wine on without feeling like a drunken relic of some bygone era (Mad Men anyone?) Let's get real though. No trip to Shake Shack would be right without getting a burger or two, just like a trip to the airport wouldn't be right without a pat down. Here's the weigh-in:
Shake Shack: The Pickin' Burgers Index
Price: 4 ($4.75).
Convenience: 2 (The Shack is really only served with any sort of convenience in NYC. There's a location in Saratoga, which is kinda nice if you don't lose money on the ponies).
Taste: 8.5 (Though the burger is amazing, I had one hang-up: Size. It’s something of a four bite burger, almost guaranteeing you’ll have to get two to make the wait worth it. Also, I reserve 9's for really knock your socks off burger inventions and 10's for burgers that make you want to get your stomach insured with Lloyd's of London. Don't hate on the eight; if you're lucky, that's what you'll rate the date you'll be taking there).
Total: 14.5 (out of 20).
The Pickin' Burgers Index explained:
Taste is ranked on a 10-point scale, and is entirely subjective, entirely at each individual reviewer's discretion.
Price and Convenience are objective measurements on a 5-point scale. For Price, a "5" is given to burgers costing less than $2.50, a "4" to burgers costing $2.50 to $10, with a point drop for each subsequent $5 price increase (a "3" for $10-$15, a "2" for $15-$20, etc., to a "1" for $20+).
For Convenience, a "5" is awarded to burgers served at over 1000 locations, a "4" to burgers served at 100-1000 locations in more than 30 states, a "3" to burgers served at 10-100 locations in more than one state, a "2" to burgers served at more than one location in a city or region, and a "1" to burgers served at one location.
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