Danny Meyer is a highly influential New York City restaurateur, founder, and executive chairman of Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG). He is widely recognized for pioneering 'Enlightened Hospitality,' a business...
Shake Shack made its highly anticipated Western Canada debut at CF Chinook Centre in Calgary, officially opening on May 11, 2024. It's known for its classic American burgers, crinkle-cut fries, and milkshakes, offering a fast-casual dining experience with a focus on quality ingredients. The Calgary location also features "Alberta Exclusives" on its menu, incorporating regional producers. Ordering is primarily done via self-service kiosks, accepting card/debit payments only.
Customer Perception
Customers generally praise the friendly and efficient staff, the organized ordering process, and the clean environment. The food receives positive remarks for flavor, particularly the crispy fries (especially with cheese sauce), well-cooked burger patties, and rich, thick milkshakes. The Shack Stack and chicken nuggets are also highlighted. However, common criticisms include burgers being thin, portion sizes feeling small for the price, and overall value being questioned due to the lack of combo meals and a perceived high price point. Some find the milkshakes overly sweet, and burger buns can be too soft. Despite these points, many recommend trying it at least once.
The Calgary location offers an exclusive local menu, built with regional producers, available only at the Chinook Shack. The restaurant plans to serve local beer and cocktails, though this section was not fully operational during initial visits. Ordering is exclusively via tablets/kiosks and accepts card/debit only, no cash.
Vegetarian options (e.g., Shack Stack with portobello)Gluten-free options (accommodated seriously)
Best Times to Visit
Visiting earlier in the day, such as around 11 AM, may help avoid long lineups. The restaurant can get busy, especially during peak hours and soon after its opening.
4
We stopped by Shake Shack in Calgary around 11 AM and luckily there was no lineup yet. The ordering process is a little different — you place your order on the tablets/kiosks when you walk in, and it’s card/debit only, no cash. The staff at the entrance were helpful and explained how everything worked. After ordering, they give you one of those little black buzzers so you know when your food is ready.
One thing to know is that the meals don’t come in combo form, so fries and drinks have to be ordered separately. I ordered the regular burger, cheese fries, and a strawberry lemonade. The burger itself was good, the sauce had really good flavour, and the cheese fries were tasty too. The burgers are definitely on the thinner side, which I noticed right away. They also serve shakes and alcohol if you want more options.
When your order is ready, they call you up and hand everything to you either on a tray for dine-in or bagged for takeout. Overall, it was a good experience with friendly staff and a clean setup. I’d personally rate it about a 7/10 — good food, but not the best burger I’ve ever had, and there are probably other places with more impressive burgers. Still worth trying at least once!
Going once but not twice.
The newly opened Shake Shack in Calgary makes a solid first impression when it comes to convenience and service. Ordering is straightforward and efficient, and the staff are friendly and welcoming.
As for the food, the burgers are decent but not particularly memorable. While the quality is fine, the portion sizes feel small for the price, which makes the overall value hard to justify. The milkshakes, though popular, are overly sweet and may not appeal to everyone.
Overall, while the experience is smooth and the service stands out, the food and pricing leave something to be desired. At this point, it’s not a place I’d be eager to return to, and I can’t say I’m highly satisfied.
They officially open on May 11th, but I managed to get a ticket for their friends and family event so I’m super lucky to be able to try it out first! The burgers were absolutely delicious, and the fries were crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. We also tried the milk shake cookie and cream, which was super sweet, but it was definitely meant to be a dessert. The restaurant was a bit busy, but the staff was really friendly and made us feel like we were dining in a cozy setting. I ended up ordering takeout instead because the tables were full when I arrived. Overall, it was a great experience!
Got invited to the friends & family opening before the public launch, and the experience was honestly impressive. The place was packed, including the takeaway section, but everything was surprisingly organized. There were staff everywhere managing orders, cleaning tables, guiding people, and helping customers, which kept the chaos under control despite the crowd.
I tried the Shack Stack, bacon cheese fries, and a vanilla shake. The Shack Stack was the highlight — perfectly toasted potato bun, crispy fried portobello layer stuffed with melted cheese, juicy beef patty, and balanced sauce-to-meat ratio without becoming greasy. The bacon cheese fries were loaded properly with crispy bacon bits and warm cheese sauce that actually stayed creamy instead of turning rubbery. The vanilla shake had a thick texture, rich flavor, and tasted more like real custard than a standard fast-food milkshake.
They also plan to serve local beer and cocktails, though that section wasn’t open yet when I visited. Definitely looking forward to trying that once fully launched.
Shake Shack Review
I'll start with the burger. It's good but flawed. The bacon is top tier good, done to the right crunch level for a burger and there's lots of it. Cheese is just standard. The maillard on the patty itself is solid and the cook on the meat is not quite well done, which I think is terrific. On the downside, the bun is so soft that it desperately needs to be toasted more to hold up, because it fell apart quickly. While the meat was cooked well, it definitely is under seasoned in my view. So given the crazy high price point, I don't think I can fully recommend it.
The crinkle cut fries are awesome. And they are better with cheese sauce. This sauce is added generously and might be the best cheese sauce in fast food.
I was really hoping they would have their house brand root beer but alas it was only Barqs. Still, Elora loved the float and I can confirm the ice cream/frozen custard is extremely good because the shake was outstanding. We did strawberry today but I will definitely try other flavors.
The unexpected star of the meal might have just been the chicken nuggets. They're not cheap either but they are very well seasoned and have convinced me to try the chicken sandwich instead of the burger, whenever it is I end up coming back.
Staff were great. Ended up waiting about 15min which means the line moved pretty well. My wife's GF order was taken seriously and she shared my thoughts on the burger but was happy overall.
With no coupons or even no combo meal pricing, I won't be coming back on a regular basis. Because of the price I can't go to a 5. But there are several items that are definitely worth a try and I know eventually I will hear the call of the cheese sauce whispering in the wind.
