Shake Shack’s First Hot Dogs Cart, a remembrance

When that Shake Shack hot dog cart first opened in Madison Square Park, I was making a film about Danny Meyer called The Restaurateur, which followed the laborious and painful construction process of Eleven Madison Park and Tabla restaurants. The second week they were serving I went down to sample the offerings, having been told by Danny that a lot of research went into which hot dog would be the absolute best to offer New Yorkers. The Chicago dog won the competition, if I remember correctly. And, it lived up to Danny’s expectations.

 On the other side of the cart, standing behind the servers, was Kerry Heffernan, chef of Eleven Madison Park, Richard Corraine, and David Swinghammer, the COO and CFO of Union Square Hospitality Group. Prep at the time was being done across the street at EMP, wheeled over in carts throughout the day. The team was eagerly watching how each guest was served and what our reactions were.

 I looked across at the power triumvirate and remarked that my $2.50 dog probably cost them $250. We shared a good laugh, but now know what transpired after that.