Yesterday I came across some big news regarding my favorite burger chain- Shake Shack.
Shake Shack, famous mainly for its burgers and shakes had released its first ever fried chicken sandwich, the ChickenShack for a limited time (throughout the summer?) at their three Brooklyn locations.
Being the Shake Shack obsessive fan that I am, I knew where Kim, Lucas and I were heading for dinner. The only debate we had was which Shack location to visit…
ChickenShacks it would be.
We headed to the Flatbush Avenue location which is directly across the street from the Barclays Center, home of the Brooklyn Nets. This is the Shake Shack that we most frequently visit although our favorite location is in DUMBO due to its nautical theme.
When we got inside we immediately spotted signage for the ChickenShack around the front of the store. When I snapped a photo of this sign, one of the employees walking by enthusiastically asked if we were getting a ChickenShack and seemed happy when we said we were.
The ChickenShack is made up of crispy chicken with lettuce, pickles and buttermilk herb mayo. The chicken is all-natural and antibiotic-free. At $6.29 it isn’t the cheapest chicken sandwich out there and it packs 598 calories inside.
While placing our order, the cashier asked if we’d mind taking a survey about the new item. I had no problem with this as you could see Shake Shack really cared what people thought about this new item. I figured that this limited release had to be a test to see if the sandwich would eventually be available at all Shacks.
When our order was ready I couldn’t wait to dig in.
I ordered my ChickenShack minus the lettuce and pickles, Kim got hers intact with all of the ingredients.
Before picking up my sandwich, I noticed that the chicken looked a bit shiny, maybe even a bit too greasy. Then again this is a fried chicken sandwich so what should I expect! I also thought the chicken looked appealing due to the uneven shapes/ cuts and plump size. This wasn’t some processed piece of meat!
I dug in and really enjoyed the sandwich. Yes it could’ve been a bit less greasy but I enjoyed the hints of spicy flavor in the flaky breading which seemed to fall off in small chunks at times.
The chicken was very moist and juicy and it is something that I wanted more of.
After a few bites, I realized I couldn’t really taste the buttermilk herb mayo. Considering how much I love Shack sauce on my burgers, I had to go back to the counter to ask for more mayo for my ChickenShack.
I was given a generous amount of mayo in a small cup which seemed to already be prepared. I assume that Shake Shack didn’t want to go crazy by over-saucing the sandwich and had the mayo ready to pass out to those that wanted more.
Once I added more of the mayo, the sandwich got even better. (And it probably added a lot more calories too!)
I’d say that the ChickenShack is a welcome addition to the Shake Shack menu. I’d love to see it added as a permanent item throughout the chain.
After we were finished eating, one of the Shack employees asking customers to fill out a survey stopped by.
We were told that all of the feedback was brought to the back to Mark Rosati, Shake Shack’s Culinary Director.
I mentioned that she could send him by so we could share our thoughts…
I was handed an iPad to fill out the survey on and she stepped away for a moment.
I was happy to click that we stopped by Shake Shack today due to the ChickenShack coming out while also sharing my thoughts about the sandwich.
At the end of the survey there was an option to add your e-mail to have a chance to win a $50 Shake Shack gift card. I added it, why not!
Just as I finished up the survey, the Shack employee came back to get the iPad and introduced us to Mark Rosati.
He seemed genuinely happy to hear our feedback about the ChickenShack and told us that as of now the sandwich was a summer addition just for Brooklyn (along with a special lemonade flavor and concrete flavor). We also learned that the three Brooklyn locations were chosen for the sandwich’s debut since they are all located close together and it would be easier to track feedback on the new item.
Mark ended up chatting with Kim and I for probably close to a half-hour. While most of our conversation revolved around Shake Shack, it also had to do with food and travel!
I shared some recommendations of places to visit in Japan since Mark would be heading there soon on a trip related to Shake Shack’s upcoming Tokyo location. (I also mentioned some place worthy of trying in our neighborhood in Brooklyn.)
Mark mentioned some restaurants in Dubai when I told him we would be heading there next month. He also shared some interesting details about many of the Shake Shack locations around the world.
Overall it was a fun time trying the ChickenShack and learning a lot more about Shake Shack from Mark Rosati.
If you happen to be in NYC I’d recommend heading over to one of the Brooklyn Shake Shack locations to try a ChickenShack before it’s gone from the menu!
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Ang- Thanks! If you get to try the ChickenShack, let is know what you think! Bareburger is very good but way too pricey IMO. I love Chi-fil-A. The ChickenShack would be a nice permanent menu option!
Awesome! Looks really good! My favorite chicken sandwich is from Bare Burger. There’s one around court street if you haven’t been. I’ll need to head to Dumbo for dinner to try it if the rain holds out.
Mike- Your opinion. I just wonder though- who are people following? lol
Shake shack =totally over rated. People are such followers.