Shake Station — Restaurant in Florida

I saw the sign for this place on the interstate, wanted to check it out, and it just happened to be right next to where I was heading. Lucky me!

When I arrived, they were busy as hell. This joint was packed. All the tables were occupied, but of the bar stools were filled, and the staff were all over the place trying to help everyone.

Fortunately, I did manage to get a seat at the bar and put in my order. This is where I explain my four stars instead of five--my burger was pretty overcooked. It actually says on the menu they're cooked medium-well, but this was well-well with a side of well. The bun was toasted perfectly, and I could tell that burger wanted to be juicy and delicious. It had good seasoning, but that patty was so crispy outside it was hard. My waitress asked how the food was, and I could have told her, but I was starving and just wanted to get some food in me. It wasn't like it was awful, it was just way overcooked. If I had to guess, it probably sat on the grill too long because the cook was busy with orders from how busy they were.

Enough of that, though. This place is charming. It's got a really enjoyable diner style going for it, and the energy in the place was just kinda... good? Happy? The patrons all seemed to be happy to be there, which is always cool. A man walked in with a baby alligator in his arms and everyone acted like it was normal. I've lived in Florida my entire life, and I've never felt quite so "Florida" as I did there. There was even a boomer wearing a T-shirt implying illegal aliens get more government assistance than veterans, which is objectively untrue. (To be clear, though, our veterans deserve much more.) It was like a caricature of Florida, except the food was mostly really good.

My fries were excellent (girlfriend said they might be the best she's ever had) even though they were probably just frozen store-bought. How you prepare food matters, folks. And when I asked for milkshake suggestions, holy cow did they have options. I went with blueberry, and it was very enjoyable.

If I lived in this area, I'd probably be eating here way too often. I didn't snap a photo of my burger because I was just too hungry to be bothered, but I would love to come back one day...

Welcome to the 50s. This place is like all those old-school diners you see in the movies. Black & white checkerboard tile, chrome seats at the counter that swivel, all the staff wearing matching shirts with the establishment's name across the back (in case you forgot where you are?). Plenty of burger choices but the signature sandwiches include a rueben, a Nashville hot chicken and patty melts among others. Staff is super friendly. Any friendlier and they would probably join you. Place was nearly full at 1 pm on a Tuesday off-season, including the outdoor seating in 90 degree temps, I can only imagine how busy they get when the snowbirds show up. The music is straight out of the 50s, as well. Elvis is King, doo-wap is everywhere and even the sad songs are upbeat. When do Wally & the Beav show up? Ordered old-school, too, cheeseburger, fries ($10) & added a side of pineapple slaw ($4). Burgers come with tomato, onion, mayo & a pile of pickles. Ketchup & mustard are on the table with the salt & pepper. Mine arrived with all that even though I asked to skip the tomato. And my fries were a no-show. Had to ask for those afterwards. That is why you should write down the order! Food was hot & pretty quickly delivered. Tasty, too. The side of slaw is huge and well balanced. Hate that they let people bring their pets inside. Did someone forget about health codes? And some of the staff were petting that pooch. Didn't see any hand washing happening after. Glad my food had already been delivered. Apparently, health codes didn't exist...

At 3:30pm, it was normally not supposed to be busy, but the place was hopping. But being a first visit, it was exciting to see what they had to eat. That was the only excitement. Wife ordered a hamburger after the waitress asked if she needed help with choices. When she asked about hamburger or the hit Cuban, the waitress said the burger is one of the sandwiches we make here, but the Cuban is made elsewhere. Huh? I ordered a Philly Cheese steak. Then my wife added the homemade potato chips with blue cheese crumbles and balsamic.

Well the Cheesesteak was covered by sliced American cheese and diced frozen onions that were tiny. The beef was not good at all and very skimpy. My wife's burger was supposed to be made in house. Well it was formed and had the consistency of a machine made patty from the frozen boxed burger patties. No seasoning, just a rubbery meat similar to a McD Quarter Pounder.

Summary: sandwiches aren't made on premise. Many are definitely pre made and frozen/defrosted. Burgers which were made on premise were not hand shaped/pressed. The chips with Blu cheese were not seasoned and it was a deal breaker.

Side note: for a place which is called Shake Shack, there was not a single mention of ice cream/shakes/etc on any menu. Nothing in the SWEETS section, drinks section, and didn't see anything on the wall or in the booth.

Sonic Drive-In fast food is better and EVERYTHING is cooked in house there. Not returning, there are better...