Who’s ready for more burgers?
Shake Shack, one of the world’s best-known burger brands, will open its first Oregon restaurant in Beaverton on Friday, April 16, the company announced Wednesday.
Until now, the company had kept silent about its Portland-area expansion plans, but news had slowly trickled out. In December, the company’s proposal to turn a former vitamin store across from Powell’s City of Books was approved by the Portland’s Bureau of Development Services.
But that downtown location, with its proposed patio, bicycle parking and outdoor ping-pong table, was not to be Oregon’s first. As first reported by The Oregonian/ OregonLive.com, construction was already underway at the Cedar Hills Crossing shopping complex in Beaverton, with sources saying the company was targeting an April opening date.
Shake Shack isn’t the only burger behemoth scouting out Portland locations. California’s In-N-Out chain is working on at least two metro-area locations, one along the Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway, the other near the Bridgeport Village mall in Tualatin. But don’t expect those to open anytime soon.
“At this stage, we are in the development entitlement phase so it’s still too early to say when, or even if, we will be able to open restaurants there,” In-N-Out Vice President of Real Estate and Development Carl Arena wrote in a statement to The Oregonian/ OregonLive.com. “Once we do begin construction on a new location, it usually takes us 5 to 6 months to build the restaurant and open for business.”
Shake Shack first opened in New York City in 2004, building its reputation on “classic” roadside American fare including burgers, hot dogs, fries and frozen custards, only with higher quality ingredients and plenty of local touches. The chain can be found in around 30 states, as well as other countries including Mexico and Kuwait.
A few questions remain:
When Shake Shack enters a new market, it typically adds a new menu item specific to the region. Given that Shake Shack founder Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group and Affiliates is a major investor in Portland’s homegrown ice cream company Salt & Straw, could a sea salt and caramel ribbons milkshake be in the offing?”,”type”:”text
And given that Shake Shack employs a modern smash technique, aka Portland’s new favorite burger style, how will Shake Shack’s burgers compare to Portland-area smash superstars such as Burger Stevens, Rough Draft or Mid City? (Not to mention the nearby Killer Burger and Five Guys chains)? “,”type”:”text
We’ll find out next week.
We’ll find out next week.
