This was my first time visiting any Shake Shack location, here in Columbia, Maryland. I was…read moreactually surprised during my visit, because I was really thinking that this was going to be one of those awesome 5-star experiences, but it just wasn't.
As I approached this business, I found the outside to be clean and the landscaping was pleasant. After entering, I was immediately faced with a bunch of kiosks for customers to place their orders. I just don't like kiosks. To me, this just shows me a business that is trying to reduce their customer service by not hiring cashiers and making the customer perform the cashier's job with no cost benefit to the customer.
After placing my order, I was then questioned with how much I would like to tip. I found this to be even more annoying. What am I tipping for? The quality of the food?...I haven't eaten it yet. The quality of the service?...I haven't received any yet. Tipping BEFORE any experience is ridiculous and presumptuous. To me, tipping is a way for the customer to show that they are satisfied (or highly satisfied) with the experience they have had AFTER they have had it.
I ended up ordering the double SmokeShack Burger, which comes with two beef patties, cheese, bacon, cherry peppers, and ShackSauce. The burger was really delicious, but I was surprised by how small it was for being a double. I also ordered the Bacon Cheese Fries, which are crinkle cut French fries topped with cheese sauce and bacon. This was pretty good too, but not as good as I thought it would be. For my drink I was going to get a soda-pop, but then I decided to try their Shack-Made Lemonade. It tasted weird, and I regretted getting it.
I was served at my table by a server who delivered my food without saying a word. While eating my meal, I noticed that the inside of the restaurant looked like it hadn't been cleaned in a while. In fact, I did not see anyone cleaning anything inside during my entire visit. Even more disturbing was the lack of friendliness of the employees. I kid you not, there were about a dozen people working here during my visit and I did not see a single employee crack a smile...not for anyone.
While leaving, I decided to order their Chocolate Blackout Pudding Shake. After getting back to my hotel with this for dessert, I only had a few spoonfuls. Again, this tasted weird. I ended up throwing out 90% of it because it just wasn't very tasty.
In total, I spent over $33, which is a ridiculously high cost for one fast food meal. In comparison with my favorite fast food restaurant, In-N-Out (primarily in the western U.S.), I can get a similar meal at In-N-Out for about HALF the cost. I don't know about you, but if I pay substantially more I expect a substantially better experience. I hope that the other Shake Shack businesses don't operate like this one; This was NOT a worthwhile experience, especially considering the cost.