Love Affairs in Melbourne-Chapter 85 - 82 - : The Teased Customer

"Uh, it’s not even August yet—the words ’if’ haven’t been removed," Yan Yan reminded Yi, as she still hadn’t made her final decision.

"I’m not worried anymore about whether those words can be removed," Yi said with full confidence.

"Why?" Yan Yan looked at Yi, and while asking, she made a funny face.

"My girlfriend misses me so much she wants to fly straight to New York to see me. With such a premise, the probability that the words ’if’ cannot be removed is approaching zero," Yi confidently stated, sure of his probability calculations.

"Uh, where is all this confidence coming from?" Yan Yan asked, laughing, as she looked into Yi’s eyes.

"Of course, it’s from you," Yi replied, picking up the luggage he had set down earlier, and continued walking while holding Yan Yan’s hand.

Yan Yan wanted to argue back but, looking up at Yi’s handsome face filled with excitement and happiness, she found herself at a loss for words.

"You’ve been on the plane all night. Let me take you to the hotel first, then I’ll go line up to buy you a burger.

After you check in and settle down, take a shower and rest.

My human delivery should be there not long after," Yi suggested.

Yi knew well that the flight from Shanghai to New York took over ten hours, and usually, one would be quite tired after such a flight.

"No, don’t bother; United Airlines didn’t offer much good food, and I slept all the way.

Don’t you know that lining up is an indispensable part of the gourmet experience?

If I don’t line up myself, it won’t really prove how delicious the food is," Yan Yan rejected Yi’s suggestion.

"Line up with the luggage?" Yi felt that was a bit excessive.

"Of course! If I don’t bring my luggage, how can I show my devotion and eagerness for the food?" Yan Yan thought this was completely normal behavior.

"Aren’t you tired?" Yi was a little worried Yan Yan might be pushing herself.

"I’ll only feel tired after I’ve eaten," Yan Yan placed a higher importance on food than sleep, which meant a lot to her.

Suddenly, with great surprise, somewhat unexpectedly,

Yan Yan found herself in New York.

............

While waiting in line, Yan Yan noticed that as a burger shop, Shake Shack really had its unique features. Note 1 freeωebnovēl.c૦m

For example, starting from the menu, Shake Shack was very well-designed.

It even emphasized that all ingredients were locally sourced,

100% free from antibiotics and additives.

More importantly, the beef patties in the burgers were freshly made every day.

Just this fact alone set it significantly apart from the burgers at McDonald’s, which used industrially frozen beef patties.

Shake Shack could really be considered a boutique burger shop.

The long lines were not only because the food was delicious but also because it was slow to serve.

Compared to the real American fast food at McDonald’s, it was much slower.

The price was also about twice as expensive as McDonald’s.

In terms of drinks, this burger chain, which could be translated as "Shake Shack," offered a richer selection than typical American fast food places.

Besides soft drinks, Shake Shack also offered Shack Meister Ale, a craft beer, and a specific red wine brewed by Frog’s Leap Winery exclusively for Shake Shack.

Burger paired with red wine might sound a bit odd,

But holding a burger in one hand and a craft beer in the other was quite an experience.

After seeing the menu, Yan Yan understood why Yi had said that Shake Shack was the odd talent in New York’s culinary world.

Shake Shack, a burger shop with no advantages in price or service speed, could thrive amidst competition from McDonald’s and KFC, not only because of its deliciousness but also its unique corporate culture.

Speaking of taste, Shake Shack’s "signature skill"—the hotdog, was something McDonald’s didn’t offer.

The signature ShackBurger was definitely among the best cheeseburgers worldwide.

Additionally, there was the ’ShroomBurger, a fully vegetarian option.

For vegetarians and girls who loved burgers but were concerned about their figures, Shake Shack was the perfect choice.

Speaking of Shake Shack’s corporate culture, it also caught Yan Yan by surprise.

By the time Yi and Yan Yan finally reached the front of the line, Yan Yan told the cashier that she had just flown over ten hours from Shanghai, without even settling down, she came straight to Shake Shack for a burger.

Yan Yan casually mentioned this, hoping to inspire the staff to recommend something delicious for her.

However, after hearing Yan Yan’s remark, the handsome cashier immediately responded, "That’s too bad, if you’d fly all the way for me, not for the burger, I would marry you on the spot."

Yan Yan, new to the area, had no idea that Shake Shack’s staff were famously known for playfully teasing the customers.

Yi, standing beside her, saw Yan Yan’s embarrassment and didn’t know how to tease back.

"Actually, she’s here for me, not for you, nor for the burger. Sorry to disappoint you," Yi said. He might disregard other things, but Yan Yan had to be his, and his alone.

............

Note 1:

When Yi and Yan Yan were talking, it was still the 2011 version of Shake Shack, which had been established since 2000 emphasizing slow growth, only opening its second branch in 2004. It hadn’t expanded beyond New York by the time Yi brought Yan Yan there in 2011.

However, by now (2017), Shake Shack not only has over 70 stores worldwide but is also a billion US Dollar New York Stock Exchange listed company.

Shake Shack’s fans are comparable to "Apple fans."

When Shake Shack opened its first store in Asia in Japan, fans started lining up at five in the morning, despite the restaurant not opening until eleven.

Now, how popular is Shake Shack?

To put it in fans’ words:

First: "Not having eaten at Shake Shack is like not having seen the Statue of Liberty; both mean you haven’t truly visited New York."

Second: "New York’s three major landmarks are, the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, and Shake Shack."

Besides the taste of the food, Shake Shack is also a myth created by Wall Street.

The stock price of this burger brand once surged to 93 US Dollars, and the price-to-earnings ratio reached a staggering 1497 times.

If the concept of the price-to-earnings ratio seems a bit distant, there’s a simpler comparison:

At its peak, the value of one Shake Shack store surpassed the combined worth of 16 McDonald’s.

Of course, for food lovers, all these are not important.

What’s important is that Shake Shack will expand into Hong Kong in 2018 and come to Shanghai in 2019.