About two months into its opening, Shake Shack in the Inner Harbor is turning a brisk lunchtime business for tourists and office workers.
Children, parents and men in suits pack into tables made of reclaimed bowling alley lanes. On the menu is the ShackBurger, which comes with a special sauce; hot dogs; crinkle-cut fries; and a variety of milkshakes and frozen custards. The location also serves its own wine and beer, with the latter brewed for the company by Brooklyn Brewery.
Shake Shack's original location opened in 2004 in New York City's Madison Square Park, offering its own take on the roadside burger stand. The restaurant has gained a cult following and has locations in nine states and Washington, D.C., as well as additional locations in New York and international outposts in London, Moscow, and Dubai.
In a crowded fast-casual field, Shake Shack tries to stand out with burgers made without antibiotics or hormones. At the Baltimore location, it offers locally inspired food like the "Salty Balty," a mix of chocolate and vanilla custard with chocolate truffle cookie dough, cheesecake blondie pieces and sea salt.
Galen Prisbrey, the general manager of the newly opened Shack at 400 E. Pratt St., said the company is looking at adding locations in the Baltimore and Washington metro areas. He pointed to Shake Shack's recent blockbuster IPO, which doubled the company's shares and left it flush with cash.
"This is not the last Shake Shack that you'll see in the United States," Prisbrey said.
Are there any unique trends emerging at the Baltimore location?
Old Bay is for sure the unique trend. People will take it to their tables, they shake it over everything and they keep it, and they're very territorial. So we have a good supply of Old Bay. And then I think the other trends that will develop as we anticipate will be the aquarium and the Orioles — that's going to be a trend for sure because I think we'll see more evening business linger around for those events.
Do the customers seem like mostly tourists or mostly locals?
It's a mix. Today I think we have a mix because of the spring break, whether they come from out of town or not. Largely at lunch I would say it's more locals, the business class. And then, once it's Memorial Day, Labor Day, it's going to sway the other way.
How did you all come up with the Baltimore-themed flavors for the frozen custards?
Mark Rosati, who is our culinary director, he likes to source local vendors. In this case it was Dangerously Delicious Pies. So we have a Pratt St. Pie Oh My, which has a blueberry pancake batter, which is one of the best blueberry pie a la modes you'll ever have on top of a vanilla custard base.
There's a lot of competition in the fast-casual arena. How is Shake Shack distinguishing itself from nearby restaurants like Five Guys?
We compete every day against ourselves, and we think we've hit the mark really well with sort of three fronts. Hospitality is foremost. Second, it's community-driven, or there's a community feel to our restaurant, so not every Shack looks alike, not every Shack supports the same national cause. We go with Moveable Feast [a charity that delivers meals to those homebound with serious illnesses] here in Baltimore. And the third component is a background of fine dining. So some of those other factors are emphasized more — particularly the hospitality.
What's your favorite item on the menu?
The SmokeShack. If you ask any of our people here, 90 percent of them would probably say the SmokeShack. If you can handle bacon, it's got bacon, and some cherry pepper that cuts through some of the other flavors.
Galen Prisbrey
Age: 50
Title: General manager, Shake Shack, Inner Harbor
Home: Kensington
Education: University of Missouri, political science degree
Birthplace: St. Louis
Family: Wife, two teenage sons
Hobbies: Float trips, wine, eating, intelligent conversation, sports