Shake Shack opens first chain location in San Francisco

Matthew Macgugan,

The popular East Coast burger restaurant Shake Shack, known for its high-quality patties and frozen custard, has opened its doors at 3060 Fillmore St. 

The Cow Hollow location is the first extension of the chain to open in the city, becoming the 281st  location in the United States. Another location is slated to open this year in the underground food court of the Westfield Mall on Market Street, although a date has not been announced yet.

These two San Francisco locations will serve menu items specific to the local flavor of California. The restaurant will offer a version of its very popular frozen custard, inspired by the Golden State. The flavor is named California Cold Rush and features a vanilla custard base, pieces of Kouign Amann tart, salted caramel sauce and cocoa nibs, according to the Shake Shack website. 

“I used to go to Shake Shack downtown when I was living in LA” said Carlos Rodriguez, a SF State student anticipating the opening of the new location. 

The burger restaurant is a lengthy 28-minute drive from the SFSU main campus, or a 40-minute bus ride with a 14-minute walk. With hefty school schedules aligning with the beginning of spring semester, some students may not find the time to enjoy a ShackBurger with fries or a concrete frozen custard. 

“Yeah, that’s kind of far for me. There’s plenty of options closer to here and easier to go to,” says Christian Marroquin, a senior at SF State. 

The burger chain has recently set up shop in Palo Alto as well. New locations are planned for Oakland, Larkspur and San Mateo at the Hillsdale Mall, according to a spokesperson for the company. 

The new Shake Shack location has partnered up with a local program, La Cocina. The goal of this organization is, “to cultivate low-income food entrepreneurs as they formalize and grow their business,” according to their website.

The organization allows access to affordable kitchen space and specified industry training for low-income people who are just starting out in the restaurant business. According to the Shake Shack website for the San Francisco location, they will donate 5% of the proceeds from their concrete frozen custard sales to La Cocina.