Shake Shack Opens Its Doors In Harvard Square

PHOTO BY BRENNAN CARLY

A snowstorm won’t keep people from being able to grab a burger at Harvard Square’s newest restaurant.

Shake Shack’s owners celebrated the official opening of their Winthrop Street location, just steps from the Harvard University campus, on Thursday morning, despite the wintry weather.

This is the second Shake Shack to open in the Boston area. In March, the company opened their first location in The Street shopping complex in Chestnut Hill along Route 9. For weeks after the grand opening, the lines of people often stretched around the building.

The success of that location convinced the owners that they should creep closer to Boston. “Cambridge is absolutely amazing with its vibrant food culture, energized college scene, wealth of history, and central location,” said Shake Shack CEO Randy Garutti in a statement. “The response we’ve seen in Chestnut Hill over the past year has exceeded our expectations, and we’re excited to further our commitment to Boston and deepen our relationship with the local community.”

The new restaurant will kick off the New Year with location-specific custards inspired by the colleges that line Massachusetts Avenue. According to the company, on offer will be Crimson Red Velvet, a vanilla frozen custard blended with a slice of crimson red velvet cake from South End Buttery Bakery, and MInT Chocolate, a chocolate frozen custard blended with minted marshmallow sauce and chocolate truffle cookie dough.

“From opening day through the end of January, the Harvard Square Shack will serve up a special edition Hasty Pudding Milkshake … in honor of its talented neighbors The Hasty Pudding Institute of 1770—the nation’s oldest collegiate social club and theater company, which is run by Harvard students,” the company said in a press release.

The new location follows in the footsteps of their other restaurants and features eco-friendly materials used to create the eatery’s interior.

The walls of the Harvard Square Shake Shack are made from reclaimed wood from a retired 19th-century paper mill at Mount Tom in Holyoke, according to the company. The restaurant also features energy-efficient kitchen equipment and lighting.  Chairs and booths are made from lumber certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, and tabletops are made from reclaimed bowling alley lanes.