Date night at Shake Shack (SHAK) is getting a bit classier. As an addition to the newly launched white truffle menu, which includes a white truffle burger and white truffle fries, the quick service restaurant is trying a new business model: Sit down service.
From February 27 through March 2, participating Shake Shack locations will host The Truffle Table, a fine dining pop-up complete with fine china, white tablecloths and a prix fixe tasting menu. And at a fast food price!
For $20 a diner (plus tax, tip not included), guests will chow down on Shake Shake’s full white truffle menu. A table for two will be served a white truffle burger, a white truffle ‘Shroom burger, Parmesan fries with white truffle sauce, plus a shake of your choosing. And if that sounds like a lush experience, there will also be unlimited Shack canned wine by Gotham Winery, plus an refillable beverage of the diner’s choice. And just like in top tier dining experiences, guests will leave with a culinary goody bag including a bottle of Regalis truffle oil and a chocolate truffle from Thierry Atlan.
Shake Shack’s Truffle Table experience
“We can’t wait to test this new fine dining experience with our guests to honor one of the most exquisite and luxurious ingredients in our pantry, the white truffle,” said John Karangis, Executive Chef and VP of Culinary Innovation at Shake Shack. “From start to finish, we want guests to feel the most premium experience at Shake Shack from the food and wine to the table settings and music. It will be a night you won’t forget.”
With inflation drastically impacting the cost of dining out, and even groceries, the fine dining deal is certainly a good value. The Truffle Table can only be enjoyed with pre-booked reservations at the 10 participating locations.
Participating Shacks include West Village Shack, New York; Wilshire Blvd. Shack, Santa Monica; West Loop Shack, Chicago; Newbury Street Shack, Boston; Piedmont Park Shack, Atlanta; Brickell Shack, Miami; Domain Shack, Austin; Rice Village Shack, Houston; Dupont Circle Shack, Washington D.C. and Midtown Village Shack, Philadelphia.
The White Truffle menu is available across the U.S.
This is the first such venture for Shake Shack, though several other fast food restaurants are known to do a few sit down service stunts. White Castle’s famous white tablecloth Valentine’s Day meal attracts a cult following, and often sells out at all participating locations every February. And in 2015, a McDonald’s in Tokyo went viral by catering to the local population with a gourmet-style white tablecloth experience.
New York-based Shake Shack often sets the trends for quick service dining, and as consumers become more experience-oriented, it will be interesting to see if more fast food restaurants follow on this path.