Shake Shack Burger lands in Korea

As this reporter carried a big paper bag of Shake Shack that recently opened its first store in Seoul's bustling Gangnam district, people talked in whisper among themselves.

If you want to get a burger there, you need to wait for at least two hours. Shake Shack, which makes one of the three best burgers in the U.S., has 98 stores in 13 countries including the U.S., the U.K. and Japan. People have to wait at least half an hour in some stores including the one in New York. But there is a “craze” for Shake Shack in Korea.

Why? Eleven reporters covering the culture section of the Dong-A Ilbo decided to make a judgment. Two of them have already tasted a burger in Shake Shack in New York.

This reporter lined up for more than one hour even before the store opened at 11 a.m. on Tuesday and purchased burgers such as “Shack Burger (6,900 won or 6.06 US dollars), “Smoke Shack (8,900 won or 7.82 dollars)” and “Cheese Fries (4,900 won or 4.31 dollars)”.

According to the chain’s local partner, SPC, the patty is made of hormone-free and antibiotics-free Angus beef. The bun has a doubled chewy texture with potato flour. A Shack Burger adds tomato and lettuce to the bun and the patty and a Smoke Shack is with bacon and cherry pepper.

What does it taste like?

The first impression to the reporters was “salty.” Many said that the bacon in a Smoke Shack was so salty that it even made them frown. But some said, “If you eat it with a sweet shake, the salty taste will be offset, making good harmony.” The patty was well received. Many gave positive feedback such as “compared to fast food burgers, it is rich in moist and soft” and “it feels like real beef.”

The shake had mixed responses. Some said, “It is too sweet,” while others said, “It’s tastier than any other shake in Korea.” Fries had a good texture and the quality of potatoes was good, but many said fries were not particularly different compared to fries in fast food chains.

In general, Shake Shack got a good rating. As it positioned between a fast food burger and a high-end restaurant burger, it has an excellent quality given its price. If you buy both a burger and a shake (12,800 won or 11.25 dollars), the price is somewhere between the price of a fast food burger set (4,000 won or 3.51 dollars to 7,000 won or 6.15 dollars) and that of a burger at a high-end restaurant (over 15,000 won or 13.18 dollars).

Given the current market situation, the reporters were unlikely to go to Shake Shack again. Many said that it is not worth waiting for two or three hours and there are many other burger restaurants with the similar price range without waiting.

김동욱 기자creating@donga.com