Shake Shack Kamp Washington — Restaurant in Fairfax

I decided to give this Fairfax City location a second try before writing a review, but unfortunately, the experience didn’t improve. Both visits were during Saturday lunch hours — the first time was packed, the second much quieter. Despite fewer customers, my order still took quite a while the first time (over 45 minutes) and came out much faster the second (about 25 minutes), though the quality didn’t quite match.

The food itself tastes good, but consistency seems to be an issue. My first visit had burnt buns; the second, a burnt patty. Not sure which is better at this point. For a burger place, the wait time feels unusually long.

I also noticed several customers looking frustrated or leaving while waiting, and tables weren’t cleaned during my second visit — I ended up wiping one down myself. Despite having plenty of staff, the operation felt disorganized.

I might try a different location, but probably not...

I finally got to visit the newly opened Shake Shack. I ordered one burger, two fries, and a shake, and it took a total of 30 minutes to get my food. Since it’s still very new, I couldn’t tell if the delay was due to the system not being fully in place yet or the staff still adjusting. I can understand this, but if they don’t improve soon, it could become a real issue. People won’t want to wait 30 minutes just for a burger.

That said, the taste was much better than at other Shake Shack locations I’ve tried. At other branches, the fries are often too dry and hard, but here, even after the food had cooled down, both the fries and the burger were excellent. The staff was also friendly, and I was impressed with how hard the manager seemed to be working.

Overall, I’d give it...

This location just opened a couple of weeks ago, but it already feels run down and poorly managed. There was no ketchup on the pumps, and after waiting 18 minutes, our fries and burgers arrived cold. The servers seemed exhausted and disengaged, like every step required permission.

When we returned the fries, it took another 10 minutes to get replacements. The kitchen floor, visible from the counter, was dirty with papers on the ground, and the dining area was sticky underfoot. We even had to clean our own table before sitting.

To top it off, staff were arguing about tasks within earshot of customers. For a brand-new restaurant, this was a rough experience, definitely not the quality or energy you’d expect from...