The “roadside restaurant” concept set to go into the Times Building sounds a lot better, having just spoken to its creator, Hale and Hearty Soup man Andrew Schnipper. While taking pains to say that, unlike most drive-ins, where the non-burger dishes tended to be an afterthought, the as-yet-unnamed concept will in fact be a burger restaurant, patterned loosely (we gather) on the Shake Shack. There will be a griddle rather than a grill, just like the Shack; a custom beef blend which may or may not be from Pat La Frieda (several other butchers are being considered); and the place, once perfected, will be the first of many, just like the Shake Shack (we think). But in at least one way, Schnipper says, the operation will be better than its model: “We’re not constrained by space like the Shake Shack. People won’t need to wait half an hour to get their burger.” But will the burger be worth waiting half an hour (more like an hour, the last time we went) for? Only time, and repeat visits, will tell.

Earlier: Hale and Hearty Founders to Open ‘Concept’ Restaurant in ‘Times’ Building