At 11 AM on Wednesday, March 21st, the Shake Shack opens for the season. We'll pause here and give you a chance to regather your faculties. Though it may be snowing outside today, inside Shack training is underway for the 20-plus people who will staff the Madison Square Park destination this year. Today and for the next five days, the folks will get training on everything from running the register to refilling the napkin dispensers to working the new hot dog griddling station (previously they were boiled). They'll be preparing ballpark-200 orders on these training days.
As for the massively pressing question of who gets to eat the preview goodness, USHG officials say it's the staffers themselves and lucky employees of nearby Meyer joints 11 Madison Park and Tabla. That is, they say, not you, should you happen to be strolling through the park and happen upon activity at the Shack. But, surely, Danny Meyer, Hospitality King and future mayoral candidate of New York, has a soft spot for loyal fans. Might be worth finding out.
In a special to Eater, occasional photographic correspondent Keith Kin Yan will be filing photo reports from the training scene. His dispatches begin a bit later today.
