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Shake Shack, the new burger powerhouse

August 12, 2015

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(Via Flickr.com user Pamela Graham)

Wherever there’s a Shake Shack, you’ll find a line of people. Danny Meyer’s 71 upscale burger stands have drawn plenty of foodies, and now, they’re generating plenty of revenue.

Shake Shack expects its 2015 revenue to land somewhere between $171 million to $174 million, according to BuzzFeed. That’s up about $10 million from its previous forecast for 2015, and it potentially means revenue per shack of about $5.3 million.

Those figures trounce the leading fast food companies, according to QSR, which tracks the restaurant industry.

The leading fast food chain in the United States, Chick-fil-A, has annual revenue of about $3 million per outlet. Then comes Jason’s Deli, with annual revenue of $2.6 million, Panera Bread and McDonald’s, whose restaurants bring in an average $2.5 million, and Krispy Kreme, at $2.4 million.

Shake Shack is far smaller than any of those chains, but its success is shaking its bigger competitors. It recently began offering chicken sandwiches at its three shops in Brooklyn, and sold out after two days.

Shake Shack, founded in 2004, went public in January, with an initial valuation of $2 billion. It is now worth $2.56 billion.

For story ideas, see if your city has a Shake Shack, and talk to its customers (they’ll have plenty of time to chat while they wait to order). See how other burger and fast food chains in your city are doing. You can also talk to local brokers about Shake Shack stock and whether they recommend the chain to their clients.

Author

  • Micheline Maynard

    Micheline is a contributing columnist at the Washington Post concentrating on business and culture. She has written about flooding in Detroit, tainted water in Benton Harbor, nationwide shortages of restaurant staff, and vaccine hesitancy.

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