Shake Shack Sacramento

Shake Shack is a popular burger chain that spans the country. It’s not like chain like McDonald’s which has locations just about everywhere you go - their operation is much more limited. Locations open up in larger urban areas and big cities. Sacramento recently had a Shake Shack location open up in the R Street area. R Street has grown quite a bit with trendy and modern restaurants and shops that have moved in over the past few years. Shake Shack joins these fashionable establishments and gives the people of Sacramento the opportunity to see what the fuss is about when it comes to Shake Shack.

When Shake Shack first opened there were crowds and crowds of people that clamoured for a chance at a meal there. I remember being one of those people purchasing food from their app and then showing up to pick up my meal. The crowds have now diminished and ordering inside or out is pretty easy. On a recent visit to the restaurant, I found it very sparsely populated. It was easy just to go right up to the ordering station and select what I wanted. No wait time whatsoever.

I was a bit surprised at this because it was at a prime dinner time hour, but after sitting down for my meal, I found that the food was very average. It was fine for what it was, but I would never expect crowds and crowds of people to wait in a line for it.

I ordered the Golden State Double, a burger with Richards Grass fed Beef, cheddar, pickles, and smoked garlic aioli. The burger was about $13 without anything else. For $13, you’d expect a pretty hearty burger, but the one I got was definitely on the smaller side. The ingredients in it were fine and it tasted decently good, but as I stated, $13 should get you more burger than what I got. To make it a meal I added on some cheese fries for another $5 and then got a fountain drink for $3.39. The whole thing was over $20 after all was said and done. It was quite the pricey meal for something that looked it like should be maybe $12 -$15. It’s no wonder people don’t come as much - it’s expensive.

Though my meal cost a pretty penny, I wanted to really make the experience complete by trying their hot dog. I am sad to report that the hotdog was one of the worst I have ever had. The dog itself was very dry and overcooked. The thing was chewy and gave absolutely no satisfaction. A Costco hotdog is many times better than this one was. I would steer far, far away from their hotdogs.

In terms of atmosphere, the restaurant is modern enough with some beautiful wood paneling to give it a fresh vibe. The biggest gripe I have with the interior is that there is very little when it comes to condiments and drink refills. There was a small station to get napkins and ketchup, but I don’t think I saw a drink dispenser anywhere in sight. That was odd to me as a dispenser is something I’m used to seeing at burger places like this.

The best thing about my visit to Shake Shack was the person who brought me the meal. When I saw the meal I gave a perplexed look and he asked me if everything was ok. I was confused about my meal because it looked like it was missing something - but then I realized it was just the way it was. I didn’t want to be rude so I said that everything was fine, but he was very friendly and let me know that if I needed anything to just ask.

At the end of the day, I don’t really see a need to visit Shake Shack Sacramento. It seems like a shell of what Shake Shack should really be. My hope is that there is a change that is made to bring the magic back to this restaurant. Until then, there are plenty of other places in town to get a great burger and fries!

Website: www.shakeshack.com

Address: 1710 R St #190, Sacramento, CA 95811