Shake Shack Breaks Ground on First Beijing Location

原创 Michael Wester theBeijinger

Burger lovers, rejoice: the opening of Shake Shack's first Beijing restaurant is just a few months away, and the global brand has just broken ground on the kit-out of their first location in the heart of Sanlitun.

Construction is underway and an art exhibit of sorts went up today under the Hollister shop at Taikoo Li South S9, shopfronts 12a and 12b.

To mark the occasion and build hype, they've commissioned local artist Young Yu (于㻛) to design a 440sqm mural that combines the themes of New York (Shake Shack's home town) and Beijing.

Young Yu's Beijing and New York-inspired artwork shields Shake Shack's construction area at Taikoo Li

Hurry on over and take a selfie in front of the artwork and you could win an invite to their opening party, set for an unannounced opening date later this year. We're not supposed to say but it's probably over the summer (but no promises yet... god only knows how long it takes to build a burger joint these days). Submit your selfie (they'll also accept a pic of you in front of any Shake Shack worldwide) via their WeChat mini-app (search: 潮人街区) to win.

Three grand prize winners will be selected to get a plus-one invite to the new branch's housewarming party and a goodie bag, while the top 10 pics each month for the duration will be showered with swag as well.

The contest is open till April 30, so we're guessing the earliest they'll be open is in May, which gives you a full four months to lose weight before beginning your orgy of mass consumption at the Shack.

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For those that have somehow missed the boat on popular dining culture, Shake Shack is the darling of the burger industry in America and in many spots around the world. With modest beginnings in 2004, the chain has grown to over 250 locations, 85 of which are outside the United States.

It's already doing well in China with two outposts in Shanghai and three in Hong Kong, and frankly is the perfect storm for Chinese foodies: an upscale burger joint with a New York City pedigree that went IPO in 2015.

What could be more symbolic of Beijing than the traffic-inducing motor vehicle?

And we all know how nuts Beijingers are for burgers, be they of the McDonald's variety or fancier, pricier versions.

In Taikoo Li, Shake Shack will have stiff competition in the neighborhood from local burger purveyors such as Blue Frog, but no doubt the chain's NYC roots will result in long lines of brand-conscious foodies eager to chow down, despite higher-than-average prices.

The upscale burger trend has been a modest success in Beijing, raising the profile of burgers from the typical, inexpensive fast food of McDonald's, to hipster foodie burgers that can be priced in the RMB 100 range and not cause the batting of an eyelash.

The arrival of Shake Shack in Beijing dredges up memories of Uncle Sam's, a Chinese entrepreneur's odd take on reversing the trend of burger joints going from west to east.

Several months after Shake Shack went public in early 2015, Uncle Sam's opened in pricy digs on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue, angling to be the “Chinese version of Shake Shack” but with a decidedly dodgy origin story and mediocre offerings.

Their two Beijing branches – as well as the Manhattan flagship – both closed quietly before the end of 2016.