New York City is one of the many restaurant meccas of the world. From the posh creations at restaurants like Le Cirque in Manhattan to the deliciously over-sized slices of pizza served at L’Jubos in The Bronx, the soft cheesecakes at Junior’s in Brooklyn, and the food trucks littering nearly ever corner of Queens. Food is a central part of being a native New Yorker, however, one eatery isn’t really in the spirit of representing food in New York City.

Shake Shack, has been a thorn in the side of quite a few people for ages. After hearing about the hype for ages, I decided to try it and really see what it was all about. I was sorely disappointed because I was expecting a cheeseburger crafted by God. What I got was a thin slice of a dry hamburger crafted by some guy named Manuel.

For quite some time I couldn’t understand what the big deal is because when something is good, the hype will be generated on its own. However, I was and still am baffled by the fact that this restaurant is even remotely successful. Then it occurred to me that the reason this restaurant is good, is that it thrives on guilt.

Guilt, that emotion we all can’t stand when we see we haven’t returned that one annoying friend’s last 200 phone calls. So, what do we do, the noble thing and give them a call that will surely be the downfall of what could be a great day. That’s what Shake Shack is for people.

Shake Shack advertises GMO free (Genetically Modified Organisms) vegetables, cruelty free beef for both their burgers and hotdogs. Safety is the number one concern in people picking out their eateries and it seems that Shake Shack is the winner.

Living in a world that has seen movies like Super-Size Me and Food, Inc. has turned into skeptics of the best and sometimes worst kind. While we all know McDonald’s uses pink slime for their chicken nuggets, Taco Bell’s meat can only be classified as “protein”, and we aren’t sure what we’re going to get from a sack of White Castle, we brave the murky waters of fast food and go for what is quite frankly delicious.

However, there are plenty of fast food restaurants that are healthy and others are trying to leave the dark side of the industry. Burger Kind used to be downright unbearable at one point and then BOOM, out of nowhere they recaptured my interest.

Another part of Shake Shack I don’t understand is the right to charge that much for a burger and fries. It seems that going to Shake Shack is like going to the movies, be prepared to spend, spend, spend. The enamored feeling people have with this chain is possibly the strangest thing in the world.

Cities around the country as well as around the world are asking for Shake Shack to come to their location. Me, I’m an advocate for Insomnia Cookies to come to Buffalo anytime because as a college student, who wouldn’t appreciate a big warm cookie after midnight.

Shake Shack has been popping up everywhere left and right and I’d much rather them just stay in the shadows. However, with a rising interest, and arising stock price it seems that I will remain one of the few that are baffled by the popularity of such an overrated establishment.