Shake Shack Ladue Crossing — Restaurant in Ladue

“Shake” is the first word in their name so naturally you’d think they’d be able to make one that’s decent but you’d be wrong. You know it’s a gross chocolate shake when you throw away a frozen treat on a day that’s 90 degrees outside. It was gritty and left behind a bad aftertaste that didn’t quite taste like chocolate.

The bacon bourbon cheddar burger was just plain and outright disgusting. I couldn’t taste bacon nor could I taste bourbon. It reminded me of day old bacon grease that had been sitting in a tray on top of a steam heater. I have absolutely no idea what could have possibly gone so wrong in their kitchen that the BACON was gross.

$21 for a burger, a shake, and fries. Most of it went into the garbage and I didn’t bother to ask for a refund because I will never be going back.

Also, this particular location gave me weird vibes because all the cooks and BOH employees were black but the only white member of the staff was the one that was running the food out to the tables. Maybe it was just a coincidence but that image didn’t sit right with me and made me feel weird as a customer.

The fries were good though (despite being overpriced) and the dining area was very clean.

I will not be responding to any owners or managers that care to comment in response to my review because if you have time to try and save face on the internet you have time to go in that kitchen and figure out what’s wrong with that nasty bacon.

Edit: notice how not only can their team manage to ruin bacon and milkshakes, they still asked me for a response and my cooperation when I stated that I refuse! Everything they need to know is right here in the review. Companies try to do this all the time. They’ll tell you to email them and you’ll talk to someone behind a computer screen who doesn’t even set foot in the store that messed up the food. Best thing they can do is offer a coupon in exchange for rewriting the review and leaving them something positive. Your burger was gross, Shake Shack. If I accept free food from them or negotiate a second visit to the restaurant then it looks like I was just bashing them so I could get free stuff. I’m not! It really was gross and I was sitting 10 feet away from the trash can. We weren’t the only ones throwing away half-eaten food. I’m not interested in spending $10 in gas money to go eat another ball of old grease. The food was nasty and people deserve to know about it before they go and spend their hard earned money on something that’s going to end up in...

I was not incredibly impressed with the Shake Shack in the Central West End, but I really like this one.

Maybe I just hit the CWE location on a bad day? Or, maybe it's because it is often very busy in that area, and there is no parking lot?

I really like that the Ladue Shake Shack is in a more accessible location with ample parking. My go-to is the SmokeShack, which is a cheeseburger with bacon, ShackSauce and cherry peppers. The peppers add a nice sweet tang to the burger, but I honestly prefer the burger without the peppers. Now, I know what you are thinking: If you aren't getting the peppers, aren't you just getting a bacon cheeseburger with ShackSauce? Yes. Yes, I am. However, the SmokeShack currently is $7.29. If I add bacon (and ShackSauce) to a cheeseburger, that would come in at $7.38. So, I think you can see where I'm going with that.

Can you describe a burger as being soft? I feel like that makes it sound bad, but the SmokeShack is just so tender and wonderful each time I order it. The ShackSauce adds a nice bit of creaminess to it as well. Soft & creamy? I'm going with it. It's just so, so good.

The crinkle fries have varied in crispiness on each of my visits--I like them crispy-- but they've never been bad. An order is pretty generous, so you might even be able to split an order if you aren't in the mood for a huge meal.

I've had concretes at other locations, but they currently don't have concretes because they are offering a reduced menu "due to COVID". I recently tried my first Shake Shack shake, and it was amazing. I ordered the Black & White, which is chocolate sauce and vanilla custard, and I had malt added to it. I didn't try it until I'd eaten my entire meal, so it was melted when I got to it. However, I think I might let it melt next time as well. It was so smooth and silky, like the thickest chocolate milk I've ever had. It definitely could have handled more malt, but I LOVE MALT and honestly have never had enough malt added to any malt I've ever had--unless I'm making it myself. The shakes come in only one size--which is kind of small--and with malt, it came in at nearly $6. It won't be something I get every time, but I'm...

I arrived at approximately 11:50 am at the Ladue Crossing location and placed my order inside the lobby. I was told that I could wait inside while my order was being made and they would call out my name when it was ready. I ordered a 10 piece chicken nugget and an order of fries. There was no line inside nor was there a line outside at the pickup window. There was only one other patron inside the lobby when I arrived. I patiently waited for 20 minutes and never heard my name called. This being my first time here, I didn't know what length of time was normal to wait. As I waited though, several other patrons who had ordered inside the lobby after me, had received their orders within a few minutes of ordering. Another patron who was there before I arrived, and who had asked about her order several times, finally spoke to someone different and followed up on her order again. After looking around, they discovered it had been sitting at the pickup window for 15 minutes and they'd never called her name. So after watching this, I walked up and inquired about my order as well. After much looking about and asking around, the employee said there were no orders with my name. I then told her what I ordered and she found an order of the same items that had been sitting in the pickup area for at least 10 minutes or longer with the incorrect name. The food was cold. While I was there, I also saw another customer who'd placed an order online trying to locate her order. The staff had no trace of it. All of this leads me to believe that either this location does not train their employees properly, is disorganized, and cannot handle a lightly busy lunch, even while staffed with at least 12 employees that I personally counted; or that Shake Shack as a whole is a poorly run company. Needless to say, I was disappointed in my first Shake Shack experience. There will not be a second Shake Shack...