Shrink in the Kitchen

Restaurateur Danny Meyer has put in a bid to open a, “Shake Shack,” in Boston Common.  Shake Shack currently has locations in Madison Square Park, the Upper West Side, and Citi Field.  According to the Shake Shake website, a Miami outpost is planned.  The menu at Shake Shack includes burgers, cheeseburgers, hot dogs, fries, frozen custard, wine, and beer.  Meyer has a number of upscale restaurants, including 11 Madison where Chef Daniel Humm has helped with his team to earn one star (out of three) from Michelin; and, Gramercy Tavern, which helped reinvent service: Still anticipatory, but based on the expectations of customers whose desires were more about food than social status.  One can wonder how Shake Shack would influence the changing restaurant scene in Boston.  The sense is that it might improve service in the city as well as raise the competitive bar with other burger “joints” like Uburger.  One dreamy expectation is to see a Meyer restaurant in Boston on the level of his fancier places.  Unlikely.