"In India, there are no Big Macs because the Hindu people don't eat beef. However, they have the Maharaja Mac, which a Big Mac is made of lamb or chicken meat. There is also a vegetarian burger, the McAloo Tikki" (Adams 2007). However, despite the fact that McDonald's must face what may seem like insurmountable challenges, like selling its 'burgers' in a nation like India where a high percentage of the population is vegetarian or does not eat beef for religious reasons, it still holds to the same quality standards of standardized operating and assembly procedures. This enables the McDonald's style to be exported across borders, even when accommodations must be made. Meyer similarly keeps a tight reign upon quality control at his organization. But it is quality that his obsession, not that "French fries had to be exactly 0.28 inches thick" (Schlosser 2005). While, "the McDonald's operations manual today has ten times the number of pages and weighs about four pounds," Meyer advertises on the Shack menu that "our fresh steer burgers are ground daily, cooked medium and served plain unless otherwise requested. Let us know if you would like lettuce, tomato, pickle or onion." Few concessions are made to special diets at tastes, other than the fried mushroom veggie burger. There is a Chicago hot dog on the menu regardless of the restaurant's location, and the menu is the same for the Shake Shack at Citi Field Stadium and Madison Square Garden alike.

It remains to be seen if Meyer can keep the Shake Shack's branding consistent as it expands, particularly if it chooses to extend itself internationally. McDonald's has been able to do so because of a combination of standardization with careful market research...

McDonald's has been so successful because it has been able to remain consistent and familiar, yet show enough variation to ensure that customers, regardless of where they live, feel at home when they walk through the Golden Arches, even while partaking of the quintessential American chain food. Even the humor may be difficult to export, although Meyer says he will try: "Mr. Meyer said that keeping a sense of community was one challenge in expanding the Shacks, along with maintaining the original's quality, hospitality and 'glint in its eye.' He referred to the bad puns that he seems to favor, such as the fall 'Shacktoberfest,' and the winter 'Have Yourself a Merry Little Custard'" (Collins 2009). But as McDonald's has been able to 'export' Ronald McDonald abroad, doing so with the Shake Shack's sense of fun, targeted at its more adult audience may likewise be possible.
References

Adams, Beatrice. (2007). McDonald's strange menu items across the world. Trifter.

Retrieved October 15, 2011 at http://trifter.com/practical-travel/budget-travel/mcdonald%e2%80%99s-strange-menu-around-the-world/

Collins, Glenn. (2009). The accidental empire of fast food. The New York Times.

Retrieved October 15, 2011 at http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/16/dining/16Shake.html?pagewanted=all

Menu. (2011). The Shake Shack. Retrieved October 15, 2011 at http://shakeshack.com/mobile/menu/

Schlosser, Eric. (1998). Fast-food nation: The true cost of America's diet. Rolling Stone

magazine, 794. Retrieved October 15, 2011 at http://www.mcspotlight.org/media/press/rollingstone1.html