Summer In The City: Can Anyone Beat Credit Suisse’s Shake Shack?

Posted by John Carney, May 31, 2007, 11:01am

creditsuisseshakeshack.gifThe Shake Shack in Madison Square Park is open for business, and we’ve already heard reports of summer interns at Credit Suisse standing on the long lines to get burgers and fries for lunch.

This reminds us of the perennial question: who has the best lunch time eating options in finance? Credit Suisse’s offices, located on the east side of Madison Square Park, make it a clear nominee simply because the superb shake shack is located there. Please leave your other nominations in comments.

We know the big guns of Wall Street prefer places like Campagnola, Rao's, San Pietro and Four Seasons. We remember the Tom Wolfe essay which asserted that New York City was kept alive by the business lunch. But what we have in mind here is something a little less grand. Not lunch for the generals—lunch for the soliders. The lunch you grab before heading back to the trenches your desk. Lunch for the summers, the analysts, the associates and the newly minted VPs.

And a brief administrative note. Today marks the start of DealBreaker’s Summer Watch. The summer interns have started at the banks, the summer shares in East Egg kicked off this past weekend, Merrill Lynch is firing the sickly, and the market around the corner from DB HQ has peaches. We’ve assigned DealBreaker Associate Editor Bess Levin to the Summer Beat, collecting the best, brightest and most brutal stories of the summer.

She’s assembling information about everything you can imagine. And she needs your help. Email her at tips@dealbreaker.com. How many summers has your shop hired? What are they paid? Where do they go to school? Who has the hottest summers? What events are planned? Are they doing real work or holding your place on line at the Shake Shack?

Also, remember, whatever happens in the Hamptons never stays in the Hamptons. It ends up on DealBreaker. Send your stories of bankers gone wild near the beach to us. Send your stories of never making it out to your share because you’re stuck in the office. We’re here for you. Be there for us.

[Photo: Curbed.com]

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Posted in: Summer

Comments

1

Posted by , May 31, 2007 11:30AM

What the hell's going on with all the strikethrough text? It looks like a document you would get back from the legal department after the lawyers have finally gone postal.

2

Posted by , May 31, 2007 11:31AM

The one thing HSBC has going for it is Bryant Park lunches in the summer.

3

Posted by LexSteelz, May 31, 2007 11:38AM

Going there right effing meow.

PS...Carney...or whoever does the actual upload of your retarded postings...when using the strikethrough tag , you have to remember to end it......Stupid interns....

4

Posted by pete, May 31, 2007 11:42AM

has dealbreaker been.... hacked!

5

Posted by disgruntled CSer, May 31, 2007 11:48AM

dont ever get food at the shake shack. while it may be tasty and juicy, they were shut down last summer for a "record number of food vioaltions." mice are frequent inhabitants of madison square park and its bc of the shack. the shakes and drinks are fair game. i recommend the "arnold palmer" (half iced tea/half lemonade)

6

Posted by disgruntled CSer, May 31, 2007 11:49AM

http://www.gothamist.com/2006/08/15/shake_shack_res.php

7

Posted by Anon, May 31, 2007 12:00PM

Has Dealbreaker been cancelled?

8

Posted by , May 31, 2007 12:02PM

Citi has all of Tribeca at its disposal for lunch.

Does anyone else get a little excitement about reading with all the strikethrough? Almost like you are reading something no one else wants you to see? Just me? Yeah, I am that bored.

9

Posted by , May 31, 2007 12:02PM

Everything's redacted! This must mean the Kobra Kai law firm is striking out everything that can be construed as defamatory to Solengo and Brian Hunter. It's the revenge of the Salmon!

10

Posted by John Carney, May 31, 2007 12:04PM

The problem should be fixed.

11

Posted by , May 31, 2007 12:22PM

midtown in the 50s within striking distance of the best burgers anywhere - get you to either of 2 pj clarke's (columbus circle or E 55th street i defy you to find a better sirloin burger. no, lugers is not.) or Burger Joint at the parker meridian between them

12

Posted by Anon, May 31, 2007 1:20PM

dude, consider eating less burgers

13

Posted by vespa, May 31, 2007 1:21PM

first off - the shake shack is WAY over-rated. in fact they wrote an article about it yesterday in the NY Post.

what nimwit(i guess a summer intern) waits in line for well over an hour to get the same burger they can get a blue 9 and wait only 5-10 minutes - makes no sense at all.

that being said bryant park has to be the best lunch spot - not the food (thought GCT is just dow nthe block - and is there a better food court than that) but the "scenerey" is the best you will get, why do you think BofA is building there.

14

Posted by , May 31, 2007 1:40PM

thats true. and grand central food ct is $$ especially with brother jimmy's bbq and juniors cheesecake

15

Posted by LexSteelz, May 31, 2007 2:04PM

Mice? Lil' mice? The other night I walked thru MadSq. Park on the way home and saw a dog running along the side of a walkway...Stupid yuppies, I thought to myself, letting their chawawa/pug/pincher off the leash...then I took a closer look to realize that was no dog, brah. That ish was a giant effing rat...you know, what BSD's co-workers call him....

16

Posted by Barry Ritholtz, May 31, 2007 3:59PM

We resolved that question, at least as it applies to Burgers, a long time ago

http://bigpicture.typepad.com/writing/2005/09/best_burgers_in.html

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