Shake Shack opens its second California location in Glendale
This past March, Shake Shack introduced its East Coast brand of roadside burgers to Los Angeles, an area committed to an In-N-Out diet. The restaurant flanked Angelenos last week by opening its second location, this time near the Americana at Brand in Glendale.
The burger empire made its way west when Shake Shack debuted its first California location in West Hollywood along busy Santa Monica Boulevard. The Glendale location opened Friday to an eager crowd willing to wait in long lines for a fresh take on the sub-$10 burger.
Shake Shack’s appeal is its fast-casual approach to dining with authentic ingredients as well as its humble origins as a Manhattan hotdog cart. The restaurant promises to maintain the same quality of burger that’s made it famous despite the cross-country move. The New York burger chain currently operates in 13 states, and it has several international locations.
For those who have been to the West Hollywood location, expect much of the same experience, right down to the architecture. The menu is one of a veritable burger joint bolstered by frozen custard and a local beer-and-wine selection.
The Glendale spot also shares the L.A.-exclusive roadside double, “a double Swiss cheeseburger topped with Dijon mustard and onions simmered in bacon and beer,” according to a company statement.
Christina Ryan, who lives in Echo Park, was on her way Tuesday to Legacy Comics and Cards located near the Americana. She skipped the opening-day lines for a more relaxed afternoon visit to Shake Shack.
“I like having another option for burgers,” Ryan said. “I’ll definitely come back whenever I’m in the area.”
For patrons dining in, the location offers booths made from lumber and hand-crafted tabletops built from reclaimed bowling alley lanes.
Those wanting to do something charitable with their food experience or need to offset the guilt of enjoying a burger and dessert, Shake Shack donates 5% of its Glendale-exclusive thick frozen custard, called the Invictus, to Ascencia, a nonprofit that provides services to the homeless in the greater Glendale area.
Shake Shack, along with neighbor Philz Coffee, are part of a spate of eateries opening near the Americana. A Greenleaf is scheduled to open in mid-October, and an expansion of the downtown L.A. favorite Eggslut should be up and running in late fall of this year. Los Angeles is expecting another Shake Shack sometime in 2017.
The Glendale Shake Shack is open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. It’s located at 252 S. Brand Blvd., across from the Americana at Brand.
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Jeff Landa, jeff.landa@latimes.com
Twitter: @JeffLanda
