‘London is the burger Mecca’

There are three great burger cities in the world, according to Mark Rosati. The first, unsurprisingly, is New York, birthplace of Shake Shack; the second Los Angeles, “the birthplace of great burger culture”. And the third? London, which he describes as “one of the great burger Meccas of the world”.

The Shake Shack culinary director isn’t just being flattering – he knows the scene well and namechecks some of his favourites, as well as praising the city’s passion from street to steakhouse.

“There’s such an incredible mix of local talent and of people coming from around the world who recognise what an amazing city it is”, Rosati enthuses.

“There’s no shortage of creativity – it’s a city I come to when I’m looking for inspiration, and see what’s new and trendy. A lot of small operators that have got a lot of passion, exploring all different styles to create something really personal.

“When you combine passion and curious intelligence – I think that’s the best place to be.”

He goes on “When you look at the classic London burger places - Honest Patty & Bun, Bleecker – they are all completely different, all excellent, and all personal styles which expand on what a great burger can be.

“It’s one of the most dynamic burger scenes in the world, and it’s great to be a part of it.”

Rosati is visiting the UK for the launch of a new collaboration Naughty Boy, MOBO-award winning, producer, whose special-edition chicken burger, inspired by the Asian spices of his childhood, will be exclusively available at the Cambridge Circus Shack.

While the classic cheeseburger and crinkle cut fries are the group’s mainstay, it is collaborations like this that allow Rosati to get the creative juices flowing, he says.

“We are always wondering what we can do to surprise guests,” he says.

One new launch in the UK has herb mayo and bacon crinkle cut fries, which he says “Londoners are going insane for”.

“That is inspirational back to me,” he says. “We create something, put it out there, and if your fans love it, it’s a license to do it again and see what else they like.”

Being a smaller group, with 160 locations worldwide, Shake Shack is able to be nimbler than bigger fast food groups when it comes to NPD.

“Sometimes the idea and the execution move very fast”, Rosati says. “One of the fastest turnarounds on an item was just a few days. We all get excited and it’s easy to make something happen.

“Other times it can take a while. Our chicken sandwich, which we launched last year in the UK, took two years to develop.”

While American entrant Five Guys has stormed the UK with an aggressive rollout, Shake Shack has taken an altogether more thoughtful approach.

Rosati said the team spend lots of time finding what they envision as flagship sites for the community, and connecting with the neighbourhood in terms of suppliers.

“We have got to make sure a new Shack takes good root in the new neighbourhood,” he says. “Sometimes it can take a few months, maybe or a few years. It is only when the Shack is firing on all cylinders and delivering the experience that it’s time for the next one.

“We do take a little longer. We’ve been in business for 13 years and have 160 plus locations. Other restaurants that have gone a lot faster.

“But we are looking for really thoughtful growth, we want to make sure when we open a restaurant it’s enduring.

“We take an interest in the neighbourhood - if we don’t then why would that neighbourhood take an interest in us?”