And they indeed succeeded in this endeavor-amassing a loyal base of diners, they finally opened a dine-in restaurant at the heart of Gastown. Sign up here.With only a goal in mind which was serving the best fried chicken sandwiches, the Frying Pan embarked on a journey (quite literally) to be one of the best food trucks in the city. Become a Restaurant Business member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Members help make our journalism possible. “If you’re a fan of fried chicken, you’re living in a good time,” Rosati notes. For the fries, the gochujang glaze is blended with mayonnaise to create a dippable sauce.Īlthough Shake Shack had been working on its sandwich for many months, the launch just happened to coincide with the huge explosion of fried chicken sandwiches on chain menus. Also available are Korean-style Gochujang Chick’n Bites ($5.19 for 6-piece and $7.19 for 10-piece) and Korean-style Gochujang Fries ($3.49), all of which cross-utilize ingredients. The limited-time Korean-style Fried Chick’n sandwich sells for $7.19 and is part of a group of Korean-influenced items that will run until Apr.
The prep crew uses tongs to dip the fried chicken into the glaze, then sprinkle on the sesame seeds. Instead, it’s poured into smaller pans that fit onto each station. The operations team found a clever solution that was easier on team members,” says Rosati. “We originally poured it into one big pot but it was awkward. The biggest challenge with the new sandwich was finding an efficient way to glaze the fried chicken. But sometimes, “we have to take our chef egos out of the equation” to simplify processes in a fast-casual setting, he adds. That means a focus on cooking everything fresh in-house with chef-created recipes and techniques. Originally part of Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality group of restaurants, “fine dining is ingrained in Shake Shack’s DNA,” says Rosati. The kimchi, gochujang glaze and toasted sesame seeds are all new SKUs that were brought in for the limited-time offer.Īdapting a fine-dining mindset to fast casual The components create a sandwich that is “50% Shake Shack and 50% outside influence,” a balance he strives for when creating menu items. “We get the kimchi in at each location and mix the slaw in house,” says Rosati. It’s a proprietary combo of fermented napa cabbage , daikon radish, carrots, garlic, Asian pear and green onion made expressly for Shake Shack. company with Korean owners, Choi's Kimchi. In keeping with Shake Shack’s mission to partner with small, local producers, the kimchi is made in an authentic style by a Portland, Ore. Rosati felt that the sandwich needed something cool to contrast with the heat of the glaze, so instead of serving a side of pickled white radish, his team developed a white kimchi slaw to layer on top of the chicken. To begin, he tapped one of the chain’s co-packing partners to scale up the gochujang glaze recipe to supply a consistent product throughout the U.S. Tweaking the build for the American marketĪfter running the sandwich in 14 South Korean Shake Shack locations with very positive customer feedback, Rosati said, “Why not bring it here?” In South Korea, the glazed fried chicken is served on the classic Shake Shack potato roll with a side of pickled white radish. Toasted sesame seeds finish off the chicken prep. “We’re fanatical about flavors and colors and the chopped ginger and garlic add another dimension,” says Rosati.
The final glaze is a blend of gochujang sauce, rice syrup, garlic and ginger. The goal was to create a spicy-sweet glaze from scratch that could be scaled up. Next, the teams honed in on the gochujang glaze. The chicken is breaded and fried to order at each location. “We have a huge fan base for the Chick’n Shack, so we started there,” says Rosati. The foundation of the new sandwich is Shake Shack’s Chick’n Shack, which uses a fresh, boneless chicken breast slow-cooked sous-vide style in buttermilk to tenderize the meat. 2020, and, with a few tweaks, debuted in U.S. It launched in the chain’s South Korean units in Oct. Working with their Shake Shack partners in Seoul, the team began developing a Korean-style Fried Chick’n sandwich about two years ago.