Burger fans foud themselves chewing on a bit of welcomed news today: the opening of Beijing’s inaugural Shake Shack store has been slated for tomorrow, Aug 12.
Local artist Young Yu (于㻛) was commissioned to design the temporary signage
The announcement, released via the brand’s official WeChat account, comes almost seven months after we spotted signs for New York’s famed burger joint pop up in Sanlitun’s Taikoo Li. At that time we estimated that the store would likely open in May, but of course, that was all prior to the coronavirus fallout (ah, simpler times!).
Since then, it’s been an anxious waiting game to see if the venue would open at all, fearing that it may have been stolen from us before patty had even met grill.
Shake Shack got its start in 2001 as a hot dog stand before steadily growing into one of the biggest names in the burger biz
Luckily that’s not the case, and while the US-based Shake Shack team won’t be able to make it to the opening, their excitement for finally opening a branch in the Chinese capital is palpable from the WeChat post, where they emphasize that localization will be a big part of what makes this branch great.
We got a peek into the store a couple weeks back
The post goes on to reference three such Beijing-specific dishes: a tanghulu milkshake, roasted chestnut ice cream, and another flavor of ice cream that is not described but looks to contain raspberry. The former is especially good news for fans of the brand’s milkshakes, which are considered “some of the best in the industry.” There’s conspicuously no mention of what the burger menu will hold.
There’ll also be a limited edition Shake Shack skateboard with a design informed by iconic Beijing sights, if that’s your sort of thing.
There will be a few Beijing-specific items upon launch, like this tanghulu milkshake
Shake Shack already has five outposts in Shanghai and six in Hong Kong and is likely to find similar success among Beijing’s foodies for its positioning as an upscale burger joint and with New York City pedigree.
To celebrate the launch, Shake Shack is offering five lucky fans the chance to attend the venue’s “housewarming party” on Aug 10. All you need to do is comment on the launch announcement post (the gushier the better).
If you’d rather head over and join the hordes come next Wednesday, the store is located at S9-12A-B, 1/F, Taikoo Li. We’ll see you there.
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Photos: Mike Wester, Shake Shack
