The food blog Serious Eats says Shake Shack serves a better burger than either Five Guys — the reigning champion of the DC area — or In-N-Out Burger — the legendary chain from California. I agree whole-heartedly. Shake Shack serves the best fast-food burger I’ve ever eaten and prices, while far higher than McDonald’s, are cheap for New York.
But I still think visitors should stay far away, particularly from the orignal Shake Shack on Union Square.
The problem with Shake Shack is the cost. Not the dollar cost, which is low, but the time cost. Go at any normal eating time on a reasonably nice day and you can easily wait upwards of an hour for your food. If you live in New York, it’s annoying but worth it for the occasional treat. If you have very limited time in the city, however, it’s hard to justify. Are they very good burgers? Yes (and the shakes are good, too). But if you value your time in New York conservatively at $50 an hour, a trip to Shake Shack could end up cost you $75, plus the actual cost of the food.
$90 is too much for a hamburger, fries and shake.