SEATTLE — After a great deal of hubbub and a last-minute delay, Shack Shack is officially opening Thursday, Oct. 11 at precisely 11 a.m. in South Lake Union.
The first 100 customers to venture out will score a Seattle Shack t-shirt, and the next 100 will be totally out of luck.
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Set to open at 2115 Westlake Ave., Shake Shack's first Washington location is likely to benefit from a close proximity to Amazon's significant presence in the Denny Triangle.
In addition, concerted efforts have been made from the chain to appeal directly to Seattleites, spearheaded by CEO and former Canlis GM, Randy Garutti.
"I think Seattle has a pride among the strongest of any city I've ever known," Garutti told the Puget Sound Business Journal. "Because of that, we just really wanted to go a little deeper for Seattle and make sure everybody knew how committed we were."
Those efforts include the chain's first city-specific burger, the Montlake Double Cut, as well as a locally-commissioned art installment, and ingredients sourced from local fixtures like Theo Chocolate, Macrina Bakery, and Beecher's Handmade Cheese.
Whether any of that will be enough to sway customers loyal to Seattle chains like Dick's Drive-In, Red Mill, and Li'l Woody's remains a question. That makes Shake Shack's location near Amazon's Seattle hub that much more strategic, as a company housing a healthy percentage of transplants to the city.
MYNORTHWEST.COM
