At this Tacoma burger joint, it’s all about nostalgia
Much has changed about Tacoma since Robert Stocker and Steve Naccarato opened their retro-styled burger restaurant in 2013. Then, the city’s median house price was well under $300,000; as of May 2021, that number exceeded $500,000. Naccarato departed the ownership team in 2019, and Stocker just opened his long-awaited cocktail bar The Boom Boom Room.
The cost of a burger at Shake Shake Shake in the Stadium District has likewise increased: a single Classic Deluxe started at $3.99 but jumped to $6.99 — hence why today one should give into the $8.99 Double-Double, a ground chuck burger topped with twice the cheese and, gratefully, a modest spread of onion, pickle and green-leaf lettuce, which feels kind of fancy amid a bagged sea of shredded iceberg at similar locales.
It’s smashed in the way it should be, to the precipice of crunchy, crispy, craggy perfection along its imperfect outer edge. The poppyseed-free bun is as buns go, with enough give for your fingers to leave an imprint that bounces back between bites. The secret tartar-type sauce stays, refreshingly, where it’s been slathered on the interior of the bun’s bottom. The occasional semi-melted chunk of American cheese peeked out of either side, which bothered me from a kitchen-timing perspective but didn’t detract from the allure of the nostalgic experience that is Shake Shake Shake.
On a recent Friday just after 8 p.m. — less than an hour before closing time — the petite spot had a short line, but it moved briskly despite the obvious strain under which the young staff was working. Pandemic restrictions meant that only a couple tables, outfitted with bowling alley chairs designed by Stocker that match the vivacious orange ceiling color, were available inside, but occupied they were. We opted to sit outside at one of the folding plastic tables and chairs, set up to accommodate outdoor dining over the winter. A group of Stadium High School athletes, in uniform, were just finishing up at the neighboring picnic table. They took a photo in front of a mural depicting various Stadium neighborhood scenes.
With rockabilly tunes emanating from overhead, we received our Tiger Shake first, very thick and very sweet, freshly made with salted caramel ice cream sourced from Umpqua in Roseburg, Oregon, with sticky bits of Almond Roca. Sharing a spoon, I felt, in a quaint way, like I was a teenager on a date and he promised my dad to have me back by 10.
A few minutes later, the sweet cashier delivered our bag of burgers, wrapped in white paper, and in a quirky Chinese takeout box our fries, which were a fine vehicle for the housemade “dippers” but far from a memorable spud. (It sounds like they ran out of their standard shoestring variety that night.)
Tossing in a Fair Burger with caramelized onions and yellow mustard proved to be just the right amount of food for two people.
The menu features a handful of burgers, including a Beyond Meat or veggie patty option, plus corn dogs and Nathan’s hot dogs, split down the middle and grilled. Given additional kid friendly items — chicken strips, grilled cheese — and the nearly two dozen shake flavors, it’s easy to understand how Shake Shake Shake has stuck around for eight years, despite its proximity to the legendary Frisko Freeze. You can sit down here, and they have a liquor license.
Tacoma has plenty of between-buns outlets, though, including Stocker’s own Beefy’s Burgers a five-minute drive west on 6th Ave, where you can spend fewer dollars satiating the same craving. It’s important to remember that beef in America has long been shamefully inexpensive thanks to a hyper-consolidated supply chain, and the pandemic exacerbated issues inherent to that model — restaurants report paying 30 to 40 percent higher wholesale prices than a year ago. In today’s world, Shake Shake Shake manages to slide comfortably between that fast-food feeling and a full-service restaurant, where a “fancier” smashburger and side runs around $15.
▪ Value: fair — $40 for two burgers, fries, a shake and two cans of macro-beer
▪ Quality: fair — a few thoughtful touches (housemade sauces, green-leaf lettuce) and decent execution, paired with sweet service from a young team
▪ Atmosphere: As retro as it appears, it feels as lived-in as a 50s-era diner.
▪ Returnability: If I lived down the street, I can see the benefit to regular family meals. Otherwise, I would return if only to perch in view of the milkshake production behind the very cool diner-style bar that anchors the dining room.
SHAKE SHAKE SHAKE
▪ 124 N. Tacoma Ave., Tacoma, 253-507-4060, shakeshakeshake.me
▪ Monday-Saturday 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m., Sunday 11:30 a.m.-8 p.m.
▪ Details: retro burger joint with a simple but satisfying menu, plus 20+ shake flavors