Shake Shack Opens First Utah Restaurant to Long Lines
Aug 4, 2019, 9:40 AM | Updated: 9:42 am
SANDY, Utah – Some people will do almost anything for a good burger.
Eduardo Mena waited in line.
“I’m guessing my order is going to be ready once I go in,” he said to other people waiting outside in line with him. “Are you guys going to get a burger?”
He had plenty of time to think about his order because the wait was more than just a few minutes.
Mena waited for 10 hours.
“What time did you get here?” someone asked him.
“1 a.m.,” he said with a laugh.
When Mena heard Utah’s first Shake Shack restaurant was opening in Sandy at 11 a.m. Saturday morning, he was worried 1 a.m. might be too late to be first in line.
“If you’re going to do something, I would like to be the best,” he said.
His mission to be “the best” also brought the best laughs from his friends and family.
“My mom laughed at me. So did my boss. I had to get the day off. He laughed at me,” said Mena with the kind of smirk that shows he understands why people laugh.
He wasn’t alone.
Hundreds of others shaked their way to the restaurant early to be among the first to shack a hamburger into their mouths.
“It’s that good,” said Mena. “It’s one of those things, you just have to try it.”
When the door finally opened just after 11 a.m., the crowd started cheering and clapping.
“Let’s do this! Shake Shack!” said Mena with the kind of march through the doors military soldiers would be proud of.
Even those who work for corporate Shake Shack were impressed.
“I’ve opened many Shake Shacks and that is the most dedication I have seen. Most people get there at 4 a.m. or 5, but I’ve never had someone get there at 1,” said Drew Mitrakos, who is a regional marketing manager for Shake Shack.
Remember, this is all for a hamburger, some fries, and maybe even a shake.
“Woo! That looks good!” said Mena as he walked up to the counter when his order buzzer went off, staring at the food the way a politician running for office stares at babies when cameras are nearby.
We already knew Mena is obsessed with the food.
But what about others who only waited a couple of hours?
“Yeah, it’s really good,” said Ashley Hammer, who made the drive to Sandy from Clearfield with her friend just for the burgers.
“They think I’m crazy, but it’s so good. It’s so worth it,” said Rachel Yardley, who made the drive with Hammer. “I’ve been to them in a couple of different states and this one, I’m really excited about this one.”
It seems the latest burger joint in Utah has lots of fans judging by the couple hundred people in line even a couple of hours after it opened.
“Oh yeah. It’s amazing. I absolutely love it,” said Ryan Jenkins. “I really like the buns.”
“We used to live in Virginia and we totally loved it there,” said some kids who cheered the Shake Shack name over and over when it opened.
The excitement on Day one is understandable, but would Shake Shack’s biggest Utah fan wait in line for ten hours on Day two?
“I’m ready to be a normal citizen again,” said Mena with a laugh.
