After years of rumors that New York-based burger chain Shake Shack was coming to the Philippines, it’s finally official.
Shake Shack itself announced that it will be opening an outlet in the country in a tweet posted earlier today.
“Mabuhay, Manila! Pack the Jeepney – we’re officially headed to the Philippines!” the tweet reads. “We can’t wait to shack up in the Pearl of the Orient in spring 2019.”
Mabuhay, Manila! Pack the Jeepney – we’re officially headed to the Philippines! 🙌 We can’t wait to shack up in the Pearl of the Orient in spring 2019. 🇵🇭 pic.twitter.com/DWuegylSk5
— SHAKE SHACK (@shakeshack) July 17, 2018
While the announcement was short and vague — it did not even specify when and where exactly Shake Shack will open — the confirmation from the chain was enough to get netizens talking.
The tweet was posted at 6:35am and yet it has already gotten 2,500 likes and close to 800 retweets as of this article’s posting.
Many were excited, like @akitabaquero who wrote: “Mabuhay (long live)! Yey! Finally!” and added burger and Philippine flag emojis.
https://twitter.com/akitabaquero/status/1019376314229256193
@carakilay said: “Something to brighten up our day: SHAKE SHACK is finally coming to the Philippines in spring 2019,” with a bunch of exclamation points.
https://twitter.com/carakilay/status/1019393132436250624
@paulramos_ thinks it’s about time the burger joint opened in the country. “[I]t’s what we deserve,” he said.
it’s what we deserve
— paul (@pauIramos_) July 18, 2018
Still, others were more chill about the announcement.
Twitter user @MariusAragon couldn’t help but be sarcastic. “Does this mean that shake shack is never coming to the [P]hilippines since technically we don’t have ‘spring’?????”
https://twitter.com/MariusAragon/status/1019395359070515200
While @paolitaaa84 offered some advice. “Awesome!! And godspeed! Please look into Halal Guys case study here as a ‘what not to do’. Quality of the food is not at par with what’s available in NY.”
Awesome!! And godspeed! Please look into Halal Guys case study here as a "what not to do". Quality of the food is not at par with what's available in NY.
— Paola Vega Silva (@paolitaaa84) July 18, 2018
Rumors that Shake Shack would open in the Philippines started circulating as early as 2014. Its opening is so anticipated that a popular local food website even “announced” its opening in an April Fools’ joke in 2017.
Apart from its branches in New York City, Shake Shack also has outlets in other parts of the United States. In Asia, it can be found in Hong Kong, South Korea, and Japan among other countries.
The “fast casual” (Read: More upscale than fast-food but not quite fine dining) restaurant is popular for its burgers and milkshakes.
According to a report by ABS-CBN News, Shake Shack’s local franchise is owned by the SSI Group, which also handles the TWG Tea franchise and other luxury brands.
Where do you want Shake Shack to open in the Philippines and what menu item are you looking forward to the most? Let us know in the comments section below or tweet us @CoconutsManila.
