For almost twice the price, it should be.
A fried chicken sandwich from the Habit is $7. $5.40 from McD. Is the SS markup really that bad? I would argue it is competitively priced in itās class.
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Just MHO, Shake Shack is almost $8. To me itās still fast food and thatās a hefty price for mass produced sando.
Then again, I wasnāt a huge fan of it so maybe Iām blinded by that.
Also I place a greater importance on value than some these days as my income has taken a massive hit.
I wouldnāt pay $5 for a McDonaldās chicken sandwich, and in fact most McD food other than at promo price is overpriced for what you get, taking a page out of supermarket marketing (I.e. selling a pack of bacon for $9.99 then sale pricing $4.99 - probably what itās actually worth)
Iād rather shell out $12 for Howlin Rays, or $4 for Popeyes.
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And the crinkle cut fries are pretty good too.
Tried the Hot Chicken Sandwich, Hot and Extra Hot levels, liked both. It was my first time having Hot Chicken at any place, never been to Howlin or the others.
Hot level for me was pretty comfortable. Extra Hot level was still comfortable, no need to drink something to cool off in the middle of the sandwich. I was thirsty after finishing it though and could feel it in my stomach a bit after. No interest in trying the highest FIRE level lol. They posted on IG that the Hot Chicken is leaving the menu soon. Also, in addition to the THANKYOU Bogo code in the sale thread, thereās a second NEWYEAR code, also for Bogo, should be expiring tomorrow 1/3.
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Shake Shackās new Santa Monica location on Wilshire opens this weekend (Sunday, I believe). Saw them training today.
Took over the old Panera location.
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Bang-bang fried chicken. Huckleberry, Shake Shack. Is there a third place to get fried chicken nearby?
Today, drove by Umami Burger (onā¦ 5th maybe?) and it looks like they have some ghost kitchen or pop ups under their roof. One sounded like a hot chicken place. Samās?
Maybe go to Bruās Wiffle? Or isnāt there a place in Brentwood Country Market, though I guess thatās no longer a neighborhood bang. LOL
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If Bruās counts then Brentwood Country Mart counts 
I guess if weāre cheating a bit, we can consider the karaage at Takuma?
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Given the wifeās dislike of Italian desserts, I can definitely see some post-Colapasta walks to get some Shake Shack frozen custard
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I drive by the Oakland Shake Shack every Wedesday around 6:30. When they first opened, in December, there was a crowd of people. Yesterday Iām not sure there was one person.
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I really like Takuma overall, but the karaage there isnāt, IMHO, that great. 
Agree that Brentwood Country Mart counts. And then you can get Sweet Rose. 
Off topic 1: BTW, thereās a Taraās Himalayan across the street. Has it always been there? I only recall seeing it over the past yr or so.
Off topic 2: Has wife tried some of the desserts at La Puglia? Iām generally not a dessert person, but I think they have some good ones.
WOW - what a findā¦I cannot imagine they will do well there with finicky Brentwooders.
I was as surprised as you to see it there. I could see it doing much better along SaMo Blvdā¦
Taraās is relatively new in that location (pre pandemic, but not by much).
Havenāt tried desserts at La Puglia, but the only Italian dessert the wife will consider is gelato. Itās rough given that tiramisu might be my favorite dessert on earth.
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FYI just to confirm, drove by shake shack a couple hours ago and theyāre open for Friends/Family and grand opening is Sunday.
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They recently replaced the Korean items with avocado bacon burgers and chicken sandwiches.
They do have gelato. You could do a bang-bang w/ Pink Orchid (which I think does have tiramisu).
Taraās Himalayan opened maybe 6 months or so before COVID. I went once, and thought everything was pretty solid. That said, when I went in person pre-COVID, the restaurant was 50% full at prime time on a weekend, and thatās the most crowded Iāve ever seen it. The place these days is generally a ghost town. I drive by all the time and practically never seen people walking in to pick up orders. Iāve always thought that itās the wrong type of restaurant for the area. I canāt even imagine how much rent is in that spot. Itās not doing lower priced items but high volume business like Sweet Rose or Holy Cow, nor is it a fancier restaurant where a family might spend a couple hundred on food & alcohol (Amici). And clearly, good food is not the barometer for success in the area, as I find both Holy Cow and Amici to be mediocre.
The second I saw the signage for Taraās go up, I already knew the place was doomed. I honestly feel bad every time I drive by.
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