The burger, frozen custard joint of famed restaurateur Danny Meyer is known to be so packed that fans at Citi Field get in line before the game and are willing to miss several innings to enjoy the grub.
In fact, business has been so good to Meyer that he told CNBC that he is actively looking to put his brands, including Shake Shack, El Verano, Blue Smoke and Box Frites, into more stadiums and arenas around the country. Aside from Citi Field and Nationals Park, the only other Shake Shack at a sporting venue is at Saratoga Race Track.
“We don’t ever want to be Aramark or Levy,” said Meyer, referring to two of the companies that cater to sports fans. “What we want to be is the supplement to what is already at ballparks. So, we’re the frosting on the cake. Not the cake itself.”
Meyer wouldn’t give specifics of just how well his company, Union Square Events, is doing at ballparks, but it’s known that while concessionaires pay for the rights to serve fans food at stadiums, Meyer doesn’t pay a dime. He merely sells the value added that his brands are to the fan’s experience.
“Owners think a utility infielder that can help a team win is worth $800,000, so what’s it worth for something that will give fans a great experience even when the team loses?,” Meyer asks.
Greg Franklin
Posted: April 26, 2012 at 05:54 PM |
137 comment(s)
Login to Bookmark
Tags:
Reader Comments and Retorts
Go to end of page
Statements posted here are those of our readers and do not represent the BaseballThinkFactory. Names are provided by the poster and are not verified. We ask that posters follow our submission policy. Please report any inappropriate comments.
...the fries are just awful.
But they give you sooo many!
I only have one question about Shake Shack: Can you get a ####### RARE hamburger with real blood oozing out of it? Medium or well done red meat is the equivalent of dog food, but that's what you get at most every fast food place nowadays.
(And yes, if people want to blame this sad situation on the food nannies, this is one time I won't argue, but I'm still not sure why you can get a rare burger at most sit-down places but not at even the most upscale fast food joint.)
Perhaps if you are a 1%er who can order 7 meals and combine them all to form one meal otherwise I don't see it. Nationals Park also have a Ben's Chili Bowl which cranks out a pretty good half-smoke. Nor do I see Shake Shack burger beating out your basic stadium hot dog.
5 Guys fries are horrible, expensive, and they give you too many.
I don't understand this statement. It's not a response to what you quoted. If it's a response to the part of the sentence you didn't quote, well, Nationals Park concession prices aren't really relevant to my statement about Shake Shack prices vs. alternatives at Citi Field.
Nor do I see Shake Shack burger beating out your basic stadium hot dog.
I suggest you visit an ophthalmologist.
I suggest you visit an ophthalmologist.
Why do you hate baseball?
I assume the mouthbreathers out there gobble this #### up, but it seems like Primates - a savvy, well educated group of folks - do too. I don't get it.
Including me. Tacos are ####### awesome.
Don't most fast food places use pre-made frozen patties? In my experience, those either come out still frozen in the middle or well-done shoe leather.
Depends what you're cutting it out for. A lot of the stuff you get in restaurants isn't any better nutritionally, just more skillfully prepared.
I've never seen the taco allure, primarily because of the logistical, gravitational and brittleness problems involved in taco shells, etc. Might I humbly suggest trying chilaquiles instead? Same tortilla, meat, etc. goodness/badness in a more convenient package, in terms of physics. Plus you get loads more sauce/seasoning this way.
As for fast food. Hitler. There, I said it.
Why in the name of god would you even want anything done rare at a fast food place anyhow?
Does everyone here love tacos?
Eh. Not really. I love a good burrito and most other mexican food, but tacos really bore me. I have never once in my life thought "damn, I really want a taco."
I went to Citi for the first time last week, and there's a Blue Ribbon counter right next to the Shake Shack counter. I got a pulled pork sandwich (darn good and just $8) after waiting for about a minute. The Shake Shack line was at least 30 minutes long. Shake Shack is good, but it's not that good.
To Andy, the Shake Shack burger basically comes out medium. It's a "west coast" style burger, not a "pub" style burger, so the patty isn't think enough to both get a good hard sear and have that medium-rare, warm and red center. The sear is done very well, it's seasoned well, and the meat is high-quality. Good burger, especially if you don't have to wait a half hour to get it.
(1) Not good. Unless you get the cajun fries, which are awesome.
(2) The longer they sit in the bag, the worse they get. The steam makes them soggy. When they're first served they're (for my tastes) just the right level of crispness. (If you order online, they make your burger to be ready in time for your arrival, but they don't even bother cooking your fries until you show up, for this very reason.)
Why in the name of god would you even want anything done rare at a fast food place anyhow?
When the Roy Rogers chain first opened up, their rare hamburgers were a selling point**, and they were actually very good. This was in the early 70's, but it only lasted a few years until they just went the usual "overcook them so we can't get sued" route.
But it's not just the low rent places. That "Cheeburger Cheeburger" chain makes a big noise about "100% all-natural Angus guaranteed to have no additives, no antibiotics and no added hormones according to a verified 120 day affidavit". With all that hype, you'd think you'd be able to get a raw burger if you wanted, but no---only medium. It's like paying $200 to watch the Redskins.
**And to Matt's point about "west coast" vs. "pub" burgers: The Roy Rogers burgers were standard "quarter pound" size, not particularly thick at all. And yet they still oozed blood.
As for Jolly Old St. Neck Wound: I feel your pain for the most part. I once got in a fight with the manager at UBurger because they have a big "We Cook To Order" sign above the counter but wouldn't make my burger medium rare. However, when you are talking a thin, fast food style patty, it is really difficult to hit that mark, one, and not really necessary, provided the burger has plenty of fat content and is griddled reasonbly fresh (no grills, please!). SS burgers are juicy and delicious despite being cooked through. Also, "oozing blood"? There is no "blood" in a rare steak. Blood doesn't vanish when you cook it.
Now, Yankee Stadium has Johnny Rockets, which, while better than I remembered, doesn't really hold a candle. Though it is possible that the fries are better.
edit: my wife is a gourmand and oeneophile, but once in a while even she wants to have "Taco Night" and make those high school cafeteria style tacos with the Old El Paso kit. It's total junk food but there's something fun and nostalgic about it.
McCoy, are you referecing the Shake Shack south of Dupont? If so, what's your take on the Black and Orange burger joint just up Connecticut? (I have been on a mini-health kick for a while, so my fast food stops in the neighborhood have been pretty much confined to SweetGreen and Chopt'd.)
Well, that's not west coast style - that thin patty griddle style was invented on the east coast.
The problem is that Shake Shack ##### it up. Not only can you not order rare there (though they will get you "medium rare", as if it matters with a patty that thin), but you can't order a crispy burger. They'll TAKE your order, sure, but I've never had a proper, griddled-in-its-own-fat crust on a Shake Shack burger in years. I don't know if its the temp of their griddle, or that they've designed the griddles to get rid of the fat so that the nutritional info is less obscene, but, they only cook to a narrow range of medium rare to medium well, and they never, ever, ever seem to get a crust on their patties. That, folks, is a shonda - a good burger shack burger should ALWAYS have a crust.
The key to shake shack, IMO, is that the patties are ultra-high in fat, and the meat is reasonable quality, so when cooked to their usual soggy "medium", rather than getting the mealy-dog-food texture of the popular 90/10 patties, they stay rich and fatty. But textually, the burgers suck - a limp, greasy patty on a limp, greasy bun coated in greasy cheese. Hell, even the new "smokeshack" burger they introduced has limp, non-crispy bacon on it. Given the popularity, it seems that the world likes a burger that melds into a greasy, mushy, meaty ball, but I think its a objectively inferior style.
EDIT to add: My favorite fast-food style burger joint in NYC was this shitty hole in he wall called "Fresh n Fast", a In and Out take-off, on 23rd and Park. Burgers came out just right, with a crispy edge, and the buns had just a kiss of toast to keep them integral. Really, really good - better than In and Out, after they got into a rhythm. Then they closed a few weeks back. I thought I was the only one, and then I saw on the NY mag food blog a post saying that Wylie Dufresne was ######## because his favorite burger in NYC - Fresh-n-Fast, had closed. I felt o-so-vindicated. And yet, while the good place closes, ShackShackBurgerWalMart(TM) continues its slow conquering march.
Just because somebody's high brow, doesn't mean they automatically pretend to be 'above' any forms of fast food. Moderation my friend.
Shake Shack is a poor man's version of Kopp's.
Yeah, tacos are my favorite casual food, period. frannyzoo, tacos don't have to be crunchy, either - flour tortillas, corn tortillas, endless possibilities.
That said, I wouldn't touch Taco Bell - except maybe a bean burrito if I was driving, there was no other food for miles and miles except McDonalds/Burger King, and I was STARVING.
I also think there's fast food, and then there's fast food. Shake Shack or Five Guys is one thing - McDonalds, Burger King, etc are another. I think there's a place for the first group - delicious food is delicious - but I don't touch the stuff in the second group.
The last 3 times I went, I sent my burger back. Most recently, Monday of this week. I've officially given up.
Thus the quotation marks. I wasn't making a historical argument. I bet the thick style of burger wasn't invented in a pub, either.
Well, but it's just not right in this case. Shake shack is making homage to NY-area shack burgers, see, e.g., Red Rooster or All-American Burger out in the burbs.
I'll eat Wendy's on a road trip. I like the spicy chicken sandwich.
I'd trade a night of sex for a burger at Neptune with the fried oysters on top.
I also had a damn good one at brunch at Hammersleys (sp?).
Flat Patties was pretty good for the griddled style. U Burger was ok. Coda made a good burger when they didn't overcook it. Various pubs like Pour House and Druid and Audobon Circle did a fine job. RF O'Sullivan's was a crime against meat. Were there special burgers I could have been eating somewhere?
EDIT: ooh, Neptune. I miss Neptune, never had their burger.
I'm glad somebody understands this.
The sear is just as important as the doneness. Fast food burgers don't get either of those things right. Shake Shack, and similar places, get the sear right, but they sacrifice the ability to cook a nice rare burger by making their patties so thin. This means it takes 2-3 minutes to cook the burger instead of 8-10.
Well done red meat can taste like dog food, but it can also taste great. A thick lean burger that's overcooked tastes like dog food. The more fat you put in there, and the better the salty crust on the outside, the better it tastes, even overcooked. Well done ground beef does not taste like dog food when it's in a taco, or lasagna, or sloppy joes, or larb, or adana kebabs, or a million other applications.
edit > oh, coke to zop.
I had to commute between Boston and NY this semester - taught once a week in Boston - and so I took the Lucky Star bus twice a week. They stop at Arby's. I planned my meals around the bus ride, but the couple times I had to rush and then was starving on the road, man, that is some bad, bad food. The beef there is approximately the most foul thing in the universe. It squeaks. The chicken sandwich is barely high school cafeteria quality. After two tries, I just decided to be more vigilant about getting a meal before, and to go hungry and eat a late dinner if I failed.
But the Craigie burger at Craigie on Maine is worth the hype. Seek it out, ye burger pilgrims!
I had to commute between Boston and NY this semester - taught once a week in Boston - and so I took the Lucky Star bus twice a week. They stop at Arby's. I planned my meals around the bus ride, but the couple times I had to rush and then was starving on the road, man, that is some bad, bad food. The beef there is approximately the most foul thing in the universe. It squeaks. The chicken sandwich is barely high school cafeteria quality. After two tries, I just decided to be more vigilant about getting a meal before, and to go hungry and eat a late dinner if I failed.
Try the Fung Wah. They stop at Roy Rogers. It hasn't been updated since 1989 and it's like stepping into a time warp. Try to avoid eating anything, though.
(But it's been a couple years...perhaps the Roys has closed and been replaced by Arby's?)
http://www.jackshotdogstand.com/
They are sliders, not full burgers. The place hasn't changed in 80 years, and its Albany influenced, so they steam the buns, make sliders and slightly-bigger sliders only, charge ~$1 for each slider and use this ridiculous cast-iron contraption to make the "patties".
But, when it's on, it's the perfect burger. The buns come out pillowy soft and warm from the steamer, and the patties, griddled on an 80-year-old griddled that's been seasoned by the fat of a million lunches, are crispy and beefy. They make the patties in front of you - all fresh and such. It is simple, and perfect - a crispy patty on a soft bun. You can get basic toppings, if you want, but that misses the point.
The hot dogs are supposedly fine - standard greek mini Albany style, but, not my thing. But the burgers. O, the burgers.
hiyo!
God, Cragie sucks, and so does their burger. A+ for PR savvy, B- for food.
Cold activated, so you can taste the rocky mountain refreshment.
To be an even worse version of that guy, I've just found that there are a bunch of burgers in New York better than the best in Boston. (Though clearly I missed a number of good Boston burgers.) Black Iron cooks a perfect burger every time, and Korzo Haus is my new favorite in the entire world - the bun is a deep fried Hungarian bread, the guy cooks the burger to just under on the griddle, wraps it in a thin layer of dough, and flash fries it. You get the texture of a crisp outside, soft inside with both the bun and the burger.
I thought it was obvious that we were talking about American housewife/high school cafeteria style tacos, not authentic tacos. We're not rubes, here!
Keep telling yourself that.
My apologies, good sir.
When I first moved to Boston, it was either Regina's or greek style. It's definitely better now. Posto in Davis Square compares favorably with Una Pizza Neapolitana.
edit: And I should add, I am a New Jersey native who spent his first two years in Boston being "that guy" who ####### about how all the pizza in Boston sucks. I wish I could go back in time and punch myself.
I thought Picco and Regina made pizza that stands up to just about any pizza anywhere, though. Pho at Xinh Xinh. Craigie. Drink. No 9 Park. Clam shacks up the north shore beat anything in New York.
If you're ever in New Brunswick NJ for whatever reason (near Rutgers) the bartender at Catherine Lombardi downtown is Christopher Stanley, a true genius who would tend anyone currently at Death and Co. under the table.
I have enjoyed the one or two times I've had a burger there, so there you go. A fried egg is the king of the burger fixings.
Which was never very good, fancy oven and bohemian artist-chef aside. And now its closed.
I thought Picco and Regina made pizza that stands up to just about any pizza anywhere, though.
I actually like the ice cream at Picco more than the pizza, which i think is middling. Regina is fine, too. The problem with Boston isn't the pizza at the one or two destination, whole-pie-only joints, its that there's no good street pizza.
Craigie.
God, I hate Craigie. It's a testiment to self-promotion and mediocrity. They serve soggy fried food to slobbering hoards of people who are so brainwashed by the press that they literally would love anything that's put on the plate. I bet you Boston Beer Works would beat Craigie in a blind tasting, and I'm only half-kidding. (Note: I understand from Those Who Know that this was not true at Craigie's original location, and that the food fell off the precipice when they moved to the new spot and tripled in size.)
Drink. No 9 Park.
I actually had a slightly disappointing meal at Menton the other week. Sportello is terrific. I have an utterly amazing Barbara Lynch story - she's incredible.
Clam shacks up the north shore beat anything in New York.
All boston seafood is 10000 times better than its NYC equivlaent. Island Creek better than any NY oyster bar. Neptune better than any seafood place (what would be the NY equivalent? John Dory?)
The folks behind Ten Tables just opened a place called Grass Fed Burger Bar right down the street in JP. Had an excellent burger there on Monday - well cooked, plenty of fat, and a nice griddled bun.
the bun is a deep fried Hungarian bread
!!!
Yep, you nailed it.
Love Eastern Standard so much. I had a similar, "learning to drink" experience at Drink. You should go. Try to get Josie as your bartender.
'zop, yeah, you're right about fine dining seafood options. At the very top end NYC has great options (so I hear, at least), but at the Neptune price point there isn't an equivalent. Mermaid Inn is pretty good, I thought, but not at the level of Boston's better places.
And I believe we have agreed to disagree about the Craigie.
Red Robin was the first restaurant 'brand' that my oldest daughter (now 3-ish) could recognize, though she crushes their chicken tenders, steak fries and mandarin oranges, not the burgers. Burgers aren't bad there, admit I'm not a french fry person, but I really don't care for steak fries.
I'd take a meal at one of the better branches of Legal over Mermaid Inn. There is precious little good seafood in NY. Christ, I've had nothing but middling meals at Le Bernadin, dating back to when Eric Ripert was but a glint in the Food Network's eye.
And once you get out of Boston proper, the seafood options only get better. Fried clams and steamers, everywhere. ####, the first real good lobster pound is only ~1hr north: Bob Lobster, in Newburyport. Man, I'm hungry. Is it July yet so I can go to Maine and eat $3/lb "Rock" Crab for a week?
I'd never heard of such a thing until Homer Simpson drooled over one. Did they exist previously or was life imitating art?
Red Robin varies wildly in my experience. I've had great burgers there, but also a dry cardboard patty. That last was at the location on Route 3 in Clifton NJ so maybe it was just them.
Five Guys fries are great in small quantities, especially the cajun. A small order should split between 3 or 4 people and you've got about the right amount. Any more per person (god forbid a whole order) and you can feel your heart arteries thickening.
Agreed on not getting the Shake Shack hype. I suppose it's good (never had it), but I don't think there's really anything a burger can do to be measurably better than the "Hall of Very Good" options like Five Guys or Cheeburger or Smashburger or a decent pub.
Steak fries are atrocious.
No, but if you cook it too long without searing it (which I don't always do, out of stupidity), then the blood spills into the pan and gets burned. When I'm in stroke, I can stick a toothpick into my just-out-of-the-pan burger and the blood (or the juice, if that's what you want to call it) will shoot up like it's a Yellowstone geyser. To me that's the surest sign of a perfectly done burger, but even in the best restaurants they have a tough time doing it consistently.
Oh #### man. I used to live like five blocks from there. That was one of my favorite hang-out spots. Surprisingly, it was never as busy as you would expect, either, considering how small and how good the place was, though I'm assuming that's been changing since I left.
Folks linin' up outside
just to get dowwwwwwwwwwwwn!
It's been around for some time. Can't quickly find a cite on date. Before 1969, as Red Robin opened then.
Annoyingly rare in large sections of the country. I have no idea why it isn't more popular. I guess because it's messy? You can't beat it, though.
Seriously, eating run-of-the-mill American ground beef is a risky enough proposition when its cooked to a dry shoe leather state, but eating it rare? Fine if you know where the beef is coming from, but if you don't, its foolish.
What a retarded sentiment. Eating ground beef cooked to any temperature is as safe as anything else is likely to be. Spinach has sickened more people than beef in this country.
Well, ####, if Portland and Maine in general is your baseline, the Boston seafood does suck.
A microwaved #### sandwich would technically be safe to eat too, that doesn't mean people should be eating it.
Lots of people eat at Subway, and most of them don't even get sick from it.
Red Robin: Aggressively mediocre.
Rovell - my only "hate follow" on twitter.
And secondly, do you just slap the meat into a patty and cook it, or should I be adding something? My mother always used to put in stuff like bread crumbs and mayonnaise (or something). She said that it helped the meat to "bind" together and stay in the right shape. Or something like that, I guess I never really paid attention.
Medium is your best bet, even "lean" is a bit dry for a good burger. If you do get lean, it helps to dice some raw bacon and mix it in. I usually add my own steak spice (similar to Montreal steak spice) and some Worchectershire sauce. Several folsk on here swear by pan/griddle frying, but I've always preferred a nice thick burger cooked over an open flame orr better yet, charcoal. High heat and quick cooking is a must.
I usually get Coleman's ground beef or some similar brand, but I remember one classmate I had in 7th grade who ate raw hamburger sandwiches for lunch that had been sitting in his school locker all morning. His mom may have gotten the beef from a local kosher butcher, but he never mentioned it if she did.
He went on to become a valedictorian at MIT and a math prof at Carolina, but that bad meat finally did him in 50 years later.
And then there's Bob "The Geek" St. Clair, a great 49ers lineman in the 50's who was equally famous for his diet that consisted mostly of raw steaks. He's still alive at 82.
Obviously anecdotes like these don't prove anything, but neither do occasional outbreaks of bad meat poisoning at a Jack in the Box. I'm all for increasing the inspection budget of the FDA boys, but in the meantime I'm not going to worry about eating hamburgers.
The keys with burgers are (1) high fat content, (2) seasoning, and (3) griddle, not grill. Ground red meat needs a lot of salt, and a good deal of pepper. Cooking on a griddle (good pan over high heat on the stove works fine) allows the patty to cook in its own juices, and to sear fully. The caramelization of the meat from the sear is a big part of where burger flavor comes from.
Wait, doesn't this mean that the regulators found it?
I don't understand why people wouldn't want an alternative to factory processed crap, when its readily available if you simply give a ####. The only reason most people eat it is because they don't know, so if I can give pause to a few people and sway them to make an informed choice that can only benefit their health, their local economy and animal welfare in general, I'll put up with the ridicule from establishment lackeys like 'zop. I can buy grass-fed, locally raised and slaughtered beef at my local market cheaper than what I'd have to pay at the supermarket, its not like I'm paying $5/lb for my ground beef.
I don't eat fast food either, unless it's at a highway rest stop. Shake Shack isn't fast food though.
OK, so this thread is heading inevitably to a discussion of best burgers. Who is in the Boston area? I have a list!
If you're in Boston, go to Pinocchio's in Cambridge and get the cheeseburger sub. With hot peppers. Get a slice of pizza while you're at it. Oh man, my mouth is watering...
I went to Citi for the first time last week, and there's a Blue Ribbon counter right next to the Shake Shack counter. I got a pulled pork sandwich (darn good and just $8) after waiting for about a minute. The Shake Shack line was at least 30 minutes long. Shake Shack is good, but it's not that good.
It's Blue Smoke, not Blue Ribbon, but yeah their pulled pork sandwich is excellent, at least to this city slicker. There's absolutely no reason to wait in the Shake Shack line at Citifield.
Frankly, it still amazes me that they haven't figured out how to move that line faster, either at the original Shake Shack or at Citifield. I walk by the original nearly every day, and would probably eat there once or twice a week if the line wasn't so damned long. And I'm definitely not the only one. They are leaving a lot of money on the table.
You can? That sounds unpossible.
Yep, they found that one.
CNN - California Mad Cow
If you guys want to play those odds, go ahead. It has been proven beyond any shadow of a doubt that ruminants get prion diseases like Mad Cow by eating their own remains, yet the US still allows corporate beef processors to feed them those remains. If there was no other source of beef available to me, or if its cost was extremely prohibitive, I would probably say #### it and roll the dice, but since I have other readily available alternative sources at reasonable prices, I choose not to. How any adult intelligent enough to create an account on this website and construct a intelligible sentence could find that position unreasonable, I can't tell you.
You must be Registered and Logged In to post comments.
<< Back to main