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Shake Shack, all over the place Before I go into specifics about The Shack, let me address the elephant in the room: the In-N-Out vs. Shake Shack controversy. Shake Shack is supposedly a “west coast style” burger with a New York twist, so the comparison is inevitable. The In-N-Out aficionados of the west (such as myself) famously rant and rave about their beloved burger. The always competitive east think they finally have their hands on something that will make the westies eat their words. And yadda yadda… The two are not comparable. They belong in two separate genres of food experience. Sure they’re both burgers, but a chihuahua and a pitbull are both dogs, and you wouldn’t put them in the same ring because that would be just plain cruel. (Not that I would find dog fighting of any sort to not becruel). For one, The Shack burger is more than double the price of an In-N-Out cheeseburger ($4.75 for Shack, $2-something for In-N-Out). In-N-Out burger patties are much thinner than Shake Shack burgers, which to me is not a downside, but merely a difference, much like how Chicago deep-dish differs from New York thin crust. In-N-Out is a fast food joint. Shake Shack is a casual restaurant - complete with buzzers and everything (at In-N-Out they just holler when your food is ready). In-N-Out deserves to be compared to McD’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, and other fast food chains that are price-comparable and provide a similar experience. In that arena, In-N-Out reigns supreme with its exceptional freshness and quality of ingredients. This is why it’s a Southern California institution, and why it just tastes so damn good. I think a fairer comparison for Shake Shack would be a burger of a similar price range and girth, like Five Guys, or Washington DC’s Good Stuff Eatery - though Good Stuff burgers are fancier and double the price of Shake Shack, so it might be more appropriate to compare those to more upscale, gourmet burgers. (Frankly, it’s been too long since I’ve had Five Guys to fairly comment on how it stacks up against Shake Shack.) The beauty of it is I never have to pick between Shake Shack or In-N-Out. Since there will never be both within a reachable vicinity, I will never have the immediate dilemma of deciding between the two. They never have to compete with each other. Unless I decide to base where I live on which one I want to be near…but that’s just crazy talk. (Right?) Though the Angeleno in me always will have a special place in my heart for In-N-Out, I think it’s safe to say that I love Shake Shack. I can have a burger love on each coast. They don’t have to know about each other. For this reason and all the aforementioned, I say this burger battle is invalid, and I would love to put it to rest, allowing both to exist happily in their vastly different worlds. Now that that’s out of the way, I can talk about how delicious the Shack Burger was. The patty was thick and juicy, though a little more cooked than I would have liked, and the bread was soft. The fries were not spectacular (they lack the obvious freshness of In-N-Out’s fries, which taste like they were a whole potato just a moment ago) but I appreciated their presence as a burger companion. I haven’t had a shake from there yet, which seems blasphemous, but the burger always has been my priority. It has yet to disappoint me. So far, the long lines have been worth it. But I am one to argue that wait time improves your impression of a food, because doesn’t it just make you hungrier?

Shake Shack, all over the place

Before I go into specifics about The Shack, let me address the elephant in the room: the In-N-Out vs. Shake Shack controversy. Shake Shack is supposedly a “west coast style” burger with a New York twist, so the comparison is inevitable. The In-N-Out aficionados of the west (such as myself) famously rant and rave about their beloved burger. The always competitive east think they finally have their hands on something that will make the westies eat their words. And yadda yadda…

The two are not comparable. They belong in two separate genres of food experience. Sure they’re both burgers, but a chihuahua and a pitbull are both dogs, and you wouldn’t put them in the same ring because that would be just plain cruel. (Not that I would find dog fighting of any sort to not becruel).

For one, The Shack burger is more than double the price of an In-N-Out cheeseburger ($4.75 for Shack, $2-something for In-N-Out). In-N-Out burger patties are much thinner than Shake Shack burgers, which to me is not a downside, but merely a difference, much like how Chicago deep-dish differs from New York thin crust. In-N-Out is a fast food joint. Shake Shack is a casual restaurant - complete with buzzers and everything (at In-N-Out they just holler when your food is ready). In-N-Out deserves to be compared to McD’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, and other fast food chains that are price-comparable and provide a similar experience. In that arena, In-N-Out reigns supreme with its exceptional freshness and quality of ingredients. This is why it’s a Southern California institution, and why it just tastes so damn good. I think a fairer comparison for Shake Shack would be a burger of a similar price range and girth, like Five Guys, or Washington DC’s Good Stuff Eatery - though Good Stuff burgers are fancier and double the price of Shake Shack, so it might be more appropriate to compare those to more upscale, gourmet burgers. (Frankly, it’s been too long since I’ve had Five Guys to fairly comment on how it stacks up against Shake Shack.)

The beauty of it is I never have to pick between Shake Shack or In-N-Out. Since there will never be both within a reachable vicinity, I will never have the immediate dilemma of deciding between the two. They never have to compete with each other. Unless I decide to base where I live on which one I want to be near…but that’s just crazy talk. (Right?) Though the Angeleno in me always will have a special place in my heart for In-N-Out, I think it’s safe to say that I love Shake Shack. I can have a burger love on each coast. They don’t have to know about each other. For this reason and all the aforementioned, I say this burger battle is invalid, and I would love to put it to rest, allowing both to exist happily in their vastly different worlds.

Now that that’s out of the way, I can talk about how delicious the Shack Burger was. The patty was thick and juicy, though a little more cooked than I would have liked, and the bread was soft. The fries were not spectacular (they lack the obvious freshness of In-N-Out’s fries, which taste like they were a whole potato just a moment ago) but I appreciated their presence as a burger companion. I haven’t had a shake from there yet, which seems blasphemous, but the burger always has been my priority. It has yet to disappoint me. So far, the long lines have been worth it. But I am one to argue that wait time improves your impression of a food, because doesn’t it just make you hungrier?

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