While it has changed no doubt as a result of its rapid global expansion, Shake Shack has a great burger.
Shake Shack makes a solid burger. It tastes great. All the ingredients look vibrant. The potato bun is perfectly fluffy. Being multi-national now, you can get it in lots of major cities around the planet.
It’s kinda too greasy, and it feels heavy in your stomach.
This is one prominent example I have personally witnessed where upon expanding, the taste and vibe changed. I went to New York when it was the only place you could get Shake Shack, and the location I went to was a literal shack in the park. It felt special because it was small.
As they opened more locations, I was excited, but also worried. I ate at Shake Shack in Seoul, South Korea. And it just …did not taste the same. It was clear to me that sourcing was different, and that affected the flavor. Sure, it tasted like a Shake Shack burger. But more like an alternate-universe Shake Shack burger.
I went to the Portland location when it opened, and it was a little bittersweet. While eating, I distinctly remembered how much I once loved this burger. And it’s still good. But I think every time I eat one now, it’s just because it reminds me of the one I first had.
Maybe that’s why In-N-Out is cautious about expansion. McDonald’s was probably once excellent, but every step forward meant compromise, and the people who knew it before know it’s not the same.