By Ryder Bradley

If it’s a sunny day, you know it’s the perfect time to head to Shake Shack. A brand new Shake Shack location was opened June 12 on West Broad Street, the first one in Richmond. However, it is the second location of this popular national chain in Virginia, with the other in Virginia Beach. I headed to Shake Shack on a recent Sunday afternoon in order to grab a marvelous lunch.

Shake Shack as a chain has grown incredibly since the first Shake Shack opening in Madison Square Park in New York City in 2001. Today, there are more than 377 locations, both domestically and internationally.

When arriving at Shake Shack at Willow Place, I was greeted with a beautiful gourmet fast-casual restaurant. When ordering, you have the option to order and pay on one of four iPads located at the front of the restaurant, or you can order at the register, right behind the iPads.

When ordering, I browsed through the variety of options that Shake Shack provides. I originally was going to order a plain cheeseburger with fries and water. However, after coming to the conclusion that was too basic, so I also ordered six-piece chicken bites, along with a Triple Chocolate Brownie Shake to spice things up. The total of the meal was a tad bit pricey, at $25.82.

Photo credit: Ryder Bradley.

When asked about his Shake Shack experience, varsity football teammate Adam Sulanke (‘25) shared, “My experience with Shake Shack was a solid experience. First off, the burgers were amazing. The smash burger type is my favorite, and the juiciness of the burger made it even better. The fries are good and seasoned well. All around, the place is great, very clean and nice inside, but the only downside was the price was a little higher than I expected.”

I waited anxiously for what I knew would be a delicious meal. After a brief twelve-minute wait, my name was called in order to pick up my food. After grabbing my food, I sat at one of the many tables they offer outside on the patio in order to have a more pleasant experience while I devoured the splendid meal. The view was terrific, given you can see Broad Street, along with the drive thru that Shake Shack offers. When asked about his opinion of Shake Shack, Benjamin Street (‘26) replied, “The food always takes a while, but it’s 100% worth the wait. The overall quality of the food is great.”

Each bite I took melted in my mouth, my overall experience with Shake Shack was marvelous. From the customer service all the way to the end, meal was great. I highly recommend anyone to go check out the new Shake Shack on West Broad Street, located across the street from Target at Willow Lawn.