Shake Shake is open in Birmingham, AL — Welcome to Birmingham, beautiful. Photo by Hilary Meares of Bham Now

Last week, Shake Shack at The Summit announced it’s elaborate grand opening schedule, and Birmingham hasn’t been the same since.

The Moment We’ve All Been Waiting For.

The week kicked off with a “Housewarming Party” on Monday evening. Shake Shack employees paraded around the brand new location with samples of the original ShakeBurger, SmokeShack, and Chick n’ Stack sandwich. Oh, did I say samples? Because what I meant was WHOLE BURGERS on a tray that were yours for the taking. I. Ate. All. Three. Along with the ballpark-style crinkle fries and extra thick custard. This restaurant is where I would bring a foreign-exchange friend who wanted to know what American food is like, but only had time for one meal to experience it.

A Soft Opening for a Great Cause.

On Tuesday, August 21, Shake Shack invited the public to a soft opening to get the team ready to rock ‘n’ roll for the busy weeks ahead. The coolest part about this is EVERY dollar spent was donated to the Cahaba River Society, a non-profit committed to restoring the Cahaba River watershed and protecting our drinking water.

Casey Laycock and Gordon Black of Cahaba River Society — Casey and Gordon from Cahaba River Society. Photo by Pat Byington of Bham Now

Wednesday, I made my way to the official grand opening (still full from Monday by the way) to check out the excitement of Shake Shack’s official first day. The line wrapped around the mall, but planned for the extra traffic by setting up an interactive mural in front of the store and setting up a shuttle service on the opposite side of the shopping center to accomodate for extra parking.

Amusement while waiting in line at Shake Shack Birmingham — Guests were encouraged to make their mark on this interactive mural while waiting in line for their food. Photo by Hilary Meares of Bham Now

I ordered a ‘Shroom Burger, which is a flash fried portebello mushroom stuffed with muenster cheese, on a bun with lettuce, tomato, and Shack Sauce. I rewarded my lower-calorie choice by ordering Big Bob’s Fries (crinkle cut fries, cheese sauce and pulled pork from Big Bob Gibson’s BBQ) to go with it. Balance–am I right, guys?

shakeshack2 1 Grand opening of Birmingham's first Shake Shack receives rave reviews — ‘Shroom Burger and Big Bob’s Cheese Fries. Balance, y’all. Photo by Hilary Meares of Bham Now

Shake Shack, you haven’t seen the last of me. And I know I’m not the first to say this, but, it’s nice to have you in Birmingham. This is such a fun addition to Birmingham cuisine.