Burger lovers brave hour-long queue for first Shake Shack in Malaysia at The Exchange TRX

Malay Mail

KUALA LUMPUR, April 12 — The first-ever Shake Shack outlet in Malaysia attracted thousands of burger lovers who spent over an hour in line to grab their burgers.

The popular US burger joint opened its first outlet in Malaysia at The Exchange TRX in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday.

The store was swarmed by burger lovers for the second day with a queue stretching for at least 500 metere.

Its spacious dining area was also filled with families and friends who were enjoying their burgers despite the long wait.

Carmen Phang and Sarah Teh waited for an hour to get their favourite burger. — Picture by Choo Choy May

Carmen Phang and Sarah Teh waited for an hour to get their favourite burger. — Picture by Choo Choy May 

Sarah Teh and Carmen Phang had been waiting for months for the outlet to open so that they could try the burger once again.

Teh said she had tried it in Singapore before but was waiting for them to open in Malaysia.

“We both had to queue for an hour but it’s worth it.”

Phang said they initially wanted to try it on the opening day but noticed the overwhelming crowd and changed their mind.

“We saw on social media that many people had to wait for over two hours yesterday so we changed our plan to today.”

Matteo Bartolozzi from Italy was impressed with the punchy flavours of his SmokeShack burger. — Picture by Choo Choy May

Matteo Bartolozzi from Italy was impressed with the punchy flavours of his SmokeShack burger. — Picture by Choo Choy May 

Another patron, Matteo Bartolozzi from Italy said Shake Shack is his favourite burger joint and used to frequently have it when he was living in Qatar.

“I’m glad Malaysia finally has it and I love the flavour here more than the one in Qatar.”

The 15-year-old said the flavour here is more punchy and suits his pallet.

“I like it spicy and I think they have Malaysianised the flavour which I love.”

The Shake Shack menu consists of various types of beef and chicken burgers. — Picture by Choo Choy May

The Shake Shack menu consists of various types of beef and chicken burgers. — Picture by Choo Choy May 

The menu consists of ShackBurger, SmokeShack, Shack Stack, Shroom Burger Beef Burger, Hot Chicken and Chicken Shack.

The burgers are priced between RM23 and RM37.

There are also hotdogs for families with children or those who simply want something apart from burgers.

In the spirit of the Hari Raya festivity, the outlet also offers Bunga Raya Shake with Malaysian flavours.

The shake consists of hibiscus jelly topped with vanilla frozen custard blended with dragonfruit and gula Melaka at RM23 per cup.

Syafiq Zain and his family enjoy their favourite burger brand after two years since they last had it in Singapore. — Picture by Choo Choy May

Syafiq Zain and his family enjoy their favourite burger brand after two years since they last had it in Singapore. — Picture by Choo Choy May 

Syafiq Zain, who was having a day out with family said he was happy to have Shake Shack in Malaysia as an alternative to other existing burger brands.

“I think it’s a great addition to the burger segment in Malaysia as we don’t have many choices here.

“We tried it several times in the US and Singapore before the pandemic and I’m glad we finally have it here.”

After taking the first bite, Syafiq said he was impressed with the flavour and felt it was even better than the ones he had before.

The outlet is located at TRX City Park on the third floor and it comes with indoor and outdoor seating areas for the patrons.

According to Shake Shack Malaysia’s official Instagram account, the queue yesterday stretched for hundreds of meters inside the shopping complex.