IT'S OFFICIAL: Shake Shack's first Bay Area restaurant opens Saturday

PALO ALTO, Calif. (KGO) -- It's official! The Bay Area's first Shake Shack will open Saturday.

The location at Stanford Shopping Center will begin serving customers Dec. 15 at 11 a.m.

The popular chain is known for its hamburgers, crinkle cut fries and namesake milkshakes.

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"I actually loved it so much," said Kyra Grove of Berkeley. She drove two hours to try the Shack Burger for the first time.

Wednesday night's housewarming party drew many of its burger fans.

The Palo Alto location will also feature items sourced in the Bay Area, including buns from Tartine Bakery and frozen custard made with Manresa bread.

Unique to the Palo Alto restaurant is the "Golden State Double," a double patty burger made with locally-grown grass-fed beef.

"We top with cheddar cheese, we put that on a Tartine sweet potato bun, a little bit of a garlic aioli, kind of my nod to Gilroy, CA a little further south," said Mark Rosati, Shake Shack's culinary director.

How about topping off your meal with a glass of red?

"Wine and burgers goes great together, we have Pinot noir, Zinfandel, all those go great if you're sitting down with a burger," said Chris Brockway of Broc Cellars in Berkeley.

Fans of the tasty food might want to bring a snack if they plan to be there on opening day. It's not unusual for people to wait hours to be among the first to try a new location's menu.

But for many, In-N-Out Burger reigns supreme. "I still really like In-N-Out Burgers," said Jennifer Rishy-Maharay of Palo Alto. "I had my Shake Shack burgers so long ago I can't remember. I just know I went there and I ate a healthy burger."

Shake Shack has an app that will allow customers to avoid the wait and order food for pickup at a specific time. However, many Shake Shack fans believe the wait is part of the fun.

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Shake Shack has plans for expanding its Bay Area presence with restaurants in Larkspur and San Francisco.

The popular East Coast burger chain has more than 200 locations around the world and throngs of die-hard fans, including former First Lady Michelle Obama.