Shake Shack on Lincoln Road

Danny Meyer’s successful Shake Shack chain will make it’s debut on Lincoln Road in Miami Beach just in time to quench thirsts in the sunny month of June according to Managing Partner Randy Garutti. While some of the more upscale retail shops signing leases in the brand new Herzog & de Meuron structure at 1111 Lincoln Road have already opened their doors, the sidewalk cafe and dining loft at Lenox Avenue is still under construction.

Offering a preview tour to the local NBC television affiliate, Garutti pointed out the dining room’s lofty 30 foot ceilings, the extensive 70 seat outdoor patio area and revealed that a Brooklyn designer is crafting custom wooden tables out of vintage bowling alley lanes. While the Lincoln Road location is the first of Meyer’s restaurants under construction in South Florida, further expansion in the city is planned.

The Shake Shack concept is a modern “walk up” roadside burger bar that also serves hot dogs, frozen custard, wine and beer. Originally opened in Madison Square Park in New York in 2004, the casual dining experience ultimately extended to include a restaurant on the Upper West Side and a baseball fan’s destination at the Mets Citi Field.

What catches our hungry eyes on the new menu are Meyer’s Signature “Concretes,” blended frozen drinks incorporating the Shake Shack’s legendary frozen custard customized with Mix-Ins like hot fudge or caramel, chocolate truffle cookie dough or crunchy bits of toffee and almonds. The new South Florida menu includes “Key Lime Pie – Oh My!” which whips up custard and a slice of Florida’s most famous pie, “Shark Attack” chocolate custard spun with peanut butter, cookie dough, Valrhona chocolate bits and sprinkles and a curious kiwi and coconut caramel creation called the “Shack Beach Diet” (Hmmm? Not-so-much…)

The new Shake Shack will open on the Lenox Avenue side of the illustrious 1111 Building, the western gateway to Lincoln Road Mall. The Shack spins off of a successful New York chain of fast food burgers anointed with a Super Star Chef’s magic touch which propels them to the top of most Manhattan Foodie’s Must-Have List. Meyer’s team hopes that some of that Broadway luster will translate to the notoriously fickle South Beach dining crowd who have little patience lining up for an hour to get a hot dog or fries in the summer heat. While the SoBe Shack will remain open until midnight, most of the foot traffic at that hour is closer to the clubs on Washington Avenue. Perhaps the smell of all that sizzling beef will temp the late night movie crowd as they exit the Regal Eighteen Cinema.

Danny Meyer’s Union Hospitality Group includes some of New York’s top-rated restaurants including Union Square Cafe, Gramercy Tavern, Tabla and Blue Smoke. Wait times at lines surrounding the walk-up burger windows in New York can sometimes take over an hour. Lincoln Road diners are rarely known to be that patient, but only time will tell…

The Shake Shack is scheduled  to open in June, 2010 and we’re definitely looking forward to that Key Lime Pie and custard shake!

Shake Shack
1111 Lincoln Road
Miami Beach, FL 33139
www.shakeshack.com