Center City Shake Shack Unveiling Bike Corral This Afternoon (with beer!)

Rendering of the modular bike corral design

The Shake Shack in Center City Philadelphia is located in a neighborhood with a desperate need for more bike parking. The many restaurants, bars, and theaters in the surrounding blocks render bike parking as scarce as car parking. So we were impressed and pleased to hear that Shake Shack is taking the smart business step of installing their own bike corral.

The in-street bike corral is a collaboration between Shake Shack and Philly-based design firm SHIFT_Design. Installed as part of the 2013 DesignPhiladelphia Festival, the corral will be permanent and house 10-14 bicycles.

Shake Shack is celebrating the installation of the corral with a happy hour of sorts today after work. From their announcement:

Everyone is invited to join us during DesignPhiladelphia on Wednesday, October 16, 6-8 p.m. for complimentary Headwaters Pale Ale and Storm King Stout from our friends at Victory Brewing Company, in addition to bike-friendly swag. We’ll also be blending up Shake Shack Storm King floats. Bonus points for arriving on two wheels.

The bike corral, as it appears in its first location, the equipment loading module from The Matrix (not pictured: guns. Lots of guns.)

We asked Shake Shack for the impetus for getting their own, distinctive bike corral. They cited a desire to honor their company's foundational story as a hot dog cart in Madison Square Park, and a company policy of emphasis on environmental responsibility, design, and community investment. They don't have an official bike policy, but recognize that both customers and employees ride bicycles. This is their first bike rack at any Shake Shack location (take that, New York!).