Shake Shack Restaurant Review - Cary, NC

Waverly Place

310 Colonades Way

Cary, NC  27518

(919) 230-9390

Finally, we have a Shake Shack in the Triangle, they opened at the end of August. It's located in the Waverly Place Shopping Center around the corner from Whole Foods. We went shortly after they opened but the line was too long and they wouldn't allow anyone to use the mobile app to order. Then the reviews started coming in and they were negative so we waited until they improved and we had our first experience a couple of days ago. I ordered via their mobile app so that we wouldn't have to wait as long.  

Sticker shock set in immediately and I said to my husband I guess I can't complain about Chick-fil-A's prices anymore. A double burger will set you back a whopping $8.29 and that doesn't include fries nor a drink! Wow! A single cheeseburger costs $5.49 or 60 cents less without the cheese. If you want bacon it will cost $1.69 extra, shallots are $1.00, and a gluten-free bun is $1.00. Free options are lettuce, tomatoes, ShakeSauce, pickle, cherry peppers, and sliced onions. Note that ketchup and mayo are not offered, but you can pick them up at the condiments stand. They offer the option to skip the bun and have your burger wrapped in lettuce. They also offer a burger called ShakeMeister made with crispy shallots for $6.49, a SmokeShack burger made with Applewood Bacon and Cherry Peppers for $6.99, and a vegetarian burger made with a crisp-fried portabello mushroom filled with muenster and cheddar cheese for $7.09. They also offer a burger made with the fried mushroom for $9.79. Other choices are grilled cheese, hot dogs, fried chicken bites, and chicken sandwiches. Regular fries cost $2.95, fries with cheese are $1 more, and fries with cheese & bacon are $2 more. They offer shakes and floats for $5.29 and frozen custard for $3.69. Drink offerings are soda, tea, lemonade, apple juice, root beer, and water which cost from $1.99-$2.79. They also sell dog biscuits. We ordered two shakes, one double burger with bacon, one regular burger, and one tray of fries which totaled to $30.50 prior to tax. I managed to find a coupon (THANKYOU19) which gave us $6 off. Here's a view of the inside of the restaurant:

We visited last Sunday around 12:30 pm and while the parking lot was full there wasn't a long line and our food was ready to go in a couple of minutes. We did carry-out and were very unhappy and shocked to see that they just placed the food in a cardboard tray and then in a paper bag. The fries weren't covered nor were the burgers fully wrapped in paper or placed in a box. So we had to be very careful handling the bag of food so it wouldn't spill. Also, without the proper packaging, it cools too quickly. Since they place all the food for two people in only one tray it makes it difficult for the 2nd person to eat since they don't have anything to put the burger on in between bites. Check out Hubby's Double ShackBurger & Fries below. He ordered applewood bacon, but it was missing.

Hubby enjoyed the flavor of his burger and he found the Shake Sauce to be very garlicky. I had so little sauce on my burger I didn't really taste it. Next time I will ask for it on the side so it won't soak into the bun prior to eating it. My bottom bun was soggy. I would have preferred more lettuce on my burger and a bit less onion. Hubby said he would have liked more pickle. I was happy to see the cheese was melted on the burger. Check mine out:

I had the regular sized cheeseburger with one patty. I added ketchup to my burger since I could barely taste the ShakeSauce. We compared the flavor of their burger to Cookout, it's very similar. Though Cookout is less than $13 for two burgers, four sides, and two drinks! We are both very picky about crinkle-cut fries and I'm surprised to report we both loved Shake Shack's. They are the type that is dipped in batter before frying so they were extra crispy. I highly recommend them! 

We both ordered a malted chocolate shake and agreed it was tasty. It tasted like Hershey's syrup and the malted flavor was authentic with a couple of crushed malt ball pieces in it. I would have liked more pieces, they were yummy. I would have preferred it colder and thicker, it was very liquidy. It has a similar flavor to Red Robins Milk Shake which is our favorite, but not as good since it's not thick. It's very light and airy. It's less sweet and creamy than McDonald's, Cookout, and Chick-fil-A's. Too different to compare to Wendy's. Check it out below:

Due to the extremely high prices and far away location, we will probably only visit a couple of times a year. If the prices were lower we would visit much more frequently. There are many wealthy people living in Cary so I'm sure they will do very well regardless of their high prices. We will stick with inexpensive Cookout for our carry-out burgers or visit a non-fast food sit-down restaurant for higher-priced burgers. I filled out an online survey and informed Shake Shack that Hubby's bacon was missing and they emailed me a $15 coupon for our next order. I'm very pleased and impressed with their response to the problem. If you've tried Shake Shack, tell us in the comments below your opinion!

Have a PEACEful Day!