Eager eaters line up for burgers and shakes in Mount Kisco

 The line began to form in mid-morning for the grand opening of a new Shake Shack on North Bedford Road in Mount Kisco. AMY SOWDER PHOTO

By AMY SOWDER

Thirty minutes after Mount Kisco’s Shake Shack opened to the public for the first time, Irene Tam was there. 

With her husband in tow at 10:30 a.m. on Sept. 16, the Bedford Corners woman waited behind three people in line to order two melted Muenster and cheddar-stuffed, fried ‘Shroom Burgers and two double ShackBurgers to bring to her friends working from home in Mount Kisco near Millwood.

“I’ve tried Shake Shack before of course, but it’s new to our area, right? So it’s exciting. I just like to support our community,” Tam said. “It’s a big thing for our village.”

By 5:45 p.m., customers at the new location at 176 North Bedford Road discovered a line of Shack fans curling around the building — after taking all the parking spaces.

Founded by Danny Meyer, the New York City-based burger joint’s new location is the brand’s 72nd in New York state and its sixth in the Westchester area.

Before the dinner rush hit at 6 p.m., Mount Kisco’s Shack had received more than 500 orders and made almost $20,000 in sales — far exceeding the store’s forecasted opening day sales, said general manager Brandi Miles.

“And we’re open ’til 11 tonight,” said Miles, who’s worked at several Shake Shack locations across New Jersey and New York. This location is open daily from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. on weekdays and closes at midnight Fridays and Saturdays. “So, I’m excited to be here. I’m excited to bring Shake Shack to the community because it’s a good turnout so far.”

Miles grinned. “It’s Shaketastic,” she said before rushing off to help a customer at a kiosk.

Those namesake, signature milkshakes are hand-spun to order, crafted with creamy frozen custard made in-house with cane sugar and cage-free eggs.

So don’t call Shake Shack a fast-food joint. 

It’s designated as a fast-casual restaurant brand, where customers order online for in-store pickup, at the store kiosks or from a person at a register, but all the meals are made to order, requiring a wait of at least 7 to 9 minutes. Fast-food eateries often have the food premade and kept under heat lamps and aim for wait times under 3 minutes. 

And for the love of all things cold, creamy and sweet, don’t forget those milkshakes. On opening day, the seasonal shakes included a tropical mango shake with passionfruit boba and the Biscoff cookie butter tiramisu shake. A Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups shake is coming soon.

C.J. Simone, a junior at Fox Lane High School, scarfed down a Double SmokeShack burger, a six-piece Chicken Bites, and crinkle-cut fries in the colorful dining room with his three school buddies.

“Amazing,” Simone said, shaking his head at the empty containers on his tray. “I forgot the drink, but it’s OK because the food made up for it.”

Seated across from Simone, Luca Isenberg looked around the dining room at the walls and lights. He liked what he saw.

“There is a sense of warmth here. It’s calming. The lights are nice,” Isenberg said. “It’s just a nice, cool, chill spot to be.”