Shake Shack to Deploy Bacon CheddarShack and Four & Twenty Blackbirds Collaboration Friday

Shake Shack is debuting a new burger special on Friday nationwide — but for regulars of the original location at Madison Square Park, the Bacon CheddarShack might look a little familiar. When the flagship location reopened last summer after renovations, Danny Meyer and co. offered the ParkBurger in celebration, a burger topped with bacon and melted cheese sauce. Eater resident carnivore Nick Solares named it one of the best new burgers of 2015, even though they took it off the menu in October. But luckily for fans of this creation, the burger was such a hit that the company decided to rework it for locations across the country, says culinary director Mark Rosati. "That burger was born on Madison Square Park," he says.

Like the ParkBurger, the Bacon CheddarShack features Shake Shack's signature beef blend patty, double-smoked Niman Ranch bacon, and a melted cheese sauce that's unique from the one that comes with fries. But instead of the ParkBurger's gruyere-style Alpine cheese, the new special features a three-year aged white cheddar from Wisconsin, Rosati says. They start off with cream, add vegetables and spices, and emulsify it at the end with the cheese. "The idea is to create something very flavorful, very juicy, and very simplistic," he says. The New York-borne burger will be available at all U.S. Shake Shack locations, with the exception of stadiums, on Friday for at least the summer.

Friday will also mark the debut of another particularly New York special for Shake Shack: the Blueberry Pie Oh My concrete and shake, which features blueberry pie from the popular Gowanus-based Four & Twenty Blackbirds. It's the first time the bakery's offerings will be available at Shake Shack locations across the country. "That's tremendous for us," Rosati says. "These guys in New York are the industry standard for amazing pie." Sisters Melissa and Emily Elsen, who have been expanding their hit bakery, finally have the capacity to grow with Shake Shack, which will likely hit 100 locations globally this year, Rosati says. "That to us is exactly what we always hope to do with everyone we work with," he says. "When we start working with a new vendor, we want to grow with them."

Both will only be offered for a limited time for now; the company currently does not plan to put it on the menu permanently. "We're just doing it to have fun," Rosati says.

Serena Dai

Serena Dai

A single Bacon CheddarShack burger is $6.89, and a double is $9.69.  The Blueberry Pie Oh My! is $4.59 for a single scoop and $6.79 for a double; a shake is $5.79.