Forest Hills' Salad Days Are In Sight!

 Behold! The Sweetgreen coming to where the Boston Market used to be at the corner of Austin and 71st/Continental Ave.! 

Now just someone build me a cozy little bookshop and all my dreams will have been answered. 

Forest Hills Shake Shack Menu

Looks like our new Shack will have all the popular favorites we all know and love when it opens next week!  (Thanks to Joe for sending me the pic!)

Big Changes Coming to Our TGI Friday's

It's not often that I get very interested in what's going on at the few huge chain restaurants we have in the 'hood. But thanks to the excellent detective work of one of the Blog's readers, Maureen, it looks like our TGI Friday's is about to get a rather interesting upgrade:

TGI Fridays Is Trying A New Restaurant Design To Bring In Younger Customers

Confirmed! Shake Shack Coming to Forest Hills!

In what just might be the most important news for Forest Hills since the Stadium started up concerts again, Shake Shack confirmed this morning that they will be opening in the former Strawberry store location on Austin Street: Shack HQ Confirms: Queens Is Getting Another Standalone Shake Shack

Just some early thoughts as the news that this is really happening sinks in:
1) This will be awesome for the Austin St. shopping district of Forest Hills. It will bring in tons of new shoppers to the neighborhood. The lines that usually stretch outside a Shake Shack (if they materialize, and judging by the lines we already get inside our Chipotle, I'd be shocked if they didn't) will be mostly younger potential shoppers for all of the other retailers surrounding our new Shack. If these retailers are smart, they will take advantage of these crowds somehow. In fact, I hope the Shake Shack invigorates Austin Street all the way down to Ascan, an area that can especially use a boost.
2) It will also bring in tons of younger shoppers to the neighborhood, and as a result, could very well change the dynamic of the shopping we have along Austin Street, possibly attracting retailers aimed at younger shoppers.
3)  Personally, I am surprised—surprised that Shake Shack has skipped over supposedly "hipper" Queens neighborhoods like Astoria and Long Island City to open up their first stand-alone location here in Forest Hills.
But then, when I think about it more deeply, I can see why:

•  More younger people are moving into Forest Hills
•  There are already a ton of the younger folk here
•  Also, pretty much every demographic seems to love Shake Shack, and we have just about every demographic living here
•  Austin Street is an extremely attractive shopping district with just the upscale feel Shake Shack loves (though it's been struggling a bit in some regards as of late—this will put a stop to that struggling)
•  Austin Street is easily accessible by both car and public transit, so expect people to come to Shake Shack from all around Forest Hills
•  The Strawberry location itself is ideal for a Shake Shack. It is a two-story building with more than enough space to eat in, along with huge windows, and sits at the head of a side street, making it extremely visible to shoppers not only on Austin Street, but those coming down 71st Avenue.

I'll have more to say about this exciting development in the days and weeks to come. The only downside I see for our neighborhood is that Shake Shack has now forced me to put off my plans to become a vegetarian. I know they have a mushroom burger, and I've tried it, quite good actually. But I'm sure that those who are fans of The Shack like I am can understand why my vegan plans are now on hold.

Below is my chart of who Shake Shack will compete with and who it won't, since there's been a lot of discussion about this over on the Blog's Facebook Page. All burger places in the year 2015 are not same, anything but. We've moved way beyond the days of McDonald's versus Burger King. You may be surprised by my take on this, but you have to take into consideration the different types of consumers each burger place is trying to appeal to. Bareburger, for example, is really a health-food restaurant that just so happens to make burgers. My conclusion: they will not be competing with Shake Shack which is anything but that.

The new Shake Shake will compete with in Forest Hills:

• Twist & Smash'd (When I had their burgers, I thought to myself they reminded me of Shake Shack.)
• Cheeburger Cheeburger (Both chains are going for the consumer who wants to have a filling, delicious burger and isn't watching calories)

Doesn't compete with:

• McDonald's (today, our McD's of old is anything but the premium fast food burger outlet that Shake Shack is.)
• Bareburger (A health food restaurant with tons of different proteins and salads, along with some tasty indulgent foods. But "healthy" is the word here at Bareburger. A low-fat Bison Burger is nothing like a Shake Shack burger. Bareburger has a particular niche for those who want a healthier option and I predict they will be minimally-impacted by the new Shack. I myself will still mostly go to Bareburger since I am careful about what I eat, and when I'm in the mood for a real treat, will visit The Shack.)
• Pubs that sell burgers (Most people don't seek out their local pubs for a burger. They go to the pub and then say, "Hmmm, I'm in the mood for a burger with my beer." Burgers are an afterthought at pubs.)

What's Up With Strawberry?

Just what is going into the two-story former Strawberry location on Austin Street in Forest Hills? There have been some very odd murmerings about this location over the past couple of weeks, hinting that something big is coming in. And now, this morning, one reader says she heard from someone that it will become a Shake Shack. In any case, excitement is building and rumors are flying. Should be interesting to see who the "major retailer" said to be coming into this space will actually be.

Odd, Disney-esque Villa Taking Shape

I couldn't help but notice this odd, Disney-like villa taking shape near the Queens Center Mall when I went for my periodic DMV-like experience at the Time Warner Cable Center today. It seems that the illusional pleasantness of "America" is encroaching upon, of all places, the NYC Borough of Queens! Who would've thunk! This block appears to contain an Olive Garden which looks like something out of the Harry Potter Theme Park experience down in Orlando and I am told there will be a few other chain restaurants.

Buffalo Wild Wings Menu

They've been handing these out in front of the place, which has its grand opening July 15th...

Happy Summer!

Happy First Day of Summer! And what better way to kick it off than with a nice Margarita? I saw you can now enjoy one with your tasty Mexican fare at our neighborhood Chipotle...

Buffalo Wild Wings Signs

A portion of 71st Continental Ave. was transformed yesterday into 'Buffalo Wild Wings Land' as our newest restaurant chain unveiled its signage, visible from the space shuttle by the way. (Kidding about that last part, but they do seem a bit, how can I put it, loud?)