Shake Shack Comes To Wisconsin, With Local Twist

East coast fast-casual darling Shake Shack has officially made it to Wisconsin.

Scores of people— including Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett— lined up Wednesday in Milwaukee’s Third Ward for the opening of the new location, the first in both Milwaukee and Wisconsin.

The first 50 people in line received a free burger. As the doors opened at 11:00 a.m., a line stretched down the block. One man even camped out overnight ahead of the opening, according to Kristyn Clark, Shake Shack’s Senior Manager of Brand Communications.

The Milwaukee location features a special ice cream treat blended with a seasonal pie from local diner Honeypie Cafe. Five percent of the sales of the “Pie Oh My Concrete” go toward Groundwork Milwaukee, a Milwaukee-based nonprofit dedicated to promoting “environmental, economic and social well-being.”

Other Milwaukee exclusives on the menu include the brat burger, a hamburger topped with a Usinger’s jalapeno cheddar brat, and the Shackmeister Cheddar Brat, a Usinger’s jalapeno cheddar brat topped with cheese. The location also serves beer and wine, including local brews from Lakefront Brewery, Milwaukee Brewing Co., The Fermentorium and Miller Brewing Co.

But this isn’t the first time Shake Shack has featured the Milwaukee-based brand Usinger’s on its menu.

“Ever since the beginning, we’ve been using Usinger’s for our chicken sausage.” COO Zach Koff told the Milwaukee Record in October. “And we’ve been working with them for over a decade to really improve that recipe. For the most part anytime we’ve had any special sausage events, we’ve typically worked with them to come up with the sausage.”

The fast-casual chain, which started in 2004 as a hot dog cart in Madison Square Park in New York City, quickly gained a cult following. Since expanding globally, the chain’s stock prices have soared. Shake Shack has 11 international locations, including in Russia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey.

Other than its burgers, custard and crinkle-cut fries, the restaurant is known for its long lines. When a Shake Shack location first opened in South Korea, 1,500 people lined up for up to three hours before the opening, according to NPR.

Shake Shack is relatively new to the midwest. Last summer, a location opened at the Mall of America in Minnesota. There are four locations in Chicago.

Shake Shack couldn’t comment on when or if a second Wisconsin location would be in the works.

“We don’t have any plans to share right now on a second location,” Clark said via email. “But we love Milwaukee, so it’s definitely possible!”