(KCBS Radio) — Diners did not seem to mind waiting to be among the first to eat at Shake Shack’s first location in San Francisco. The line went out the door and around the corner on Monday, the restaurant’s first official day of business.
“It’s just a little bit more gourmet, great flavors,” said Talton Figgins, who waited patiently in line for dinner with his wife.
Shake Shack got its start as a hot dog cart in New York City in 2001, but the wildly popular chain is now better known for its burgers and milkshakes with more than 200 locations around the world.
The chain’s newest location at the corner of Fillmore and Filbert Streets in the Cow Hollow neighborhood has been a long time coming.
“This space has sat empty for a little bit,” said Shawn Chao with Shake Shack. “And like any other location in San Francisco, you have to go through a lot of planning, so finally we got in.”
The Cow Hollow location features two local flavors of the chain’s frozen custard.
“California Cold Rush” includes Kouign Amann from B. Patisserie and cocoa nibs from Dandelion Chocolate while “The Great Escape” is made with a special salted sugar cookie dough from San Francisco-based Dough XX.
“This is a hot spot,” said Andrew, who lives nearby. “So I’m sure it’ll be busy for a couple months at least, and keep the hype going. It’ll be a good spot.”
The chain also plans to donate 5% of its proceeds from its “Pie Oh My” custard to La Cocina, a nonprofit incubator that gives primarily immigrants and women of color opportunities to start food businesses.
The company plans to open another location downtown in the Westfield Shopping Center.