Shake Shack - San Mateo

Shake Shack used to be a great restaurant a couple of years ago, but my kids still insist on coming here every weekend despite the declining quality. My husband and I go along with it, usually ordering burgers for ourselves to avoid waiting at different eateries. I used to love Shake Shack so much that I would order two burgers for myself because I couldn't decide. These days, however, I am often disappointed by the lack of care put into the food. The burgers are now assembled with wilted lettuce and sometimes the patty is not even on the bun. It seems like the novelty has worn off for me. In comparison, I am always happy with the burger quality at In-N-Out, where the burgers are well-executed with plenty of toppings. During our most recent visit to Shake Shack, one of our kids' cheeseburgers was undercooked. After looking it up, we learned that Shake Shack cooks their burgers to medium, so this might be expected. However, it was the first time we felt uncomfortable with the cooking temperature. We ended up taking it home and cooking it a bit more ourselves.

The chicken sandwich was delicious, however, the chicken bites were too salty. The restaurant was very crowded and two of the self-serve kiosks were not working. It was very noisy inside.

The service at this restaurant is lacking. They do not offer fountain sodas, and when I tried to order a beer, the verification process was so difficult that I had to cancel my order. I tried to order water instead, but it was nearly $4, which seems excessive. The staff did not acknowledge or make eye contact with customers. Additionally, when my food arrived, there were no napkins or ketchup provided. It was a disappointing experience compared to the service at Habit and In-N-Out. Why did I even bother coming here?

Management: took forever to order one burger, fries, and chicken bites. Approx 20 min. I see staff waiting around for the food to finish cooking and customers kept asking is is my order ready . It is not a fast food restaurant. Took forever.

Honestly and sincerely the quality of the burgers you receive at each Shake Shack location can vary widely. For instance, when I visited New York City a few years ago, I thought their Smoke Shack burger was amazing, specifically the patty and how it all the ingredients blended together.Coming to their Hillsdale mall location a few weeks ago, I essentially duplicated my order from my NYC trip and I walked away feeling empty and still hungry to boot. As analytical as I can be, I point to the beef patty as the culprit between the discrepancy. It's typically a madhouse here, especially on the weekends. I suggest you order via their app and expect to wait quite a while before you venture over to pick up your order. With this type of food, it's also would be to your benefit to devour your petit burger and fries as quickly as you pick up your order, as the ingredients have a tendency to meld together over time.