Associated PressNew York's Theater District Shake Shack.Shake Shack just filed for an initial public offering and has plans to open as many as 450 US locations.
But the burger chain almost didn't expand at all.
Shake Shack founder Danny Meyer waited nearly five years before opening the second location because he wasn't sure it was a good idea.
Meyer told The Sun about his reservations when the second location opened in 2008.
"We're big believers in not overpromising and underdelivering," Meyer said. "We really want to give our team a chance to practice before we open the doors."
"I am not generally the greatest engine of growth in our company, because I really believe in honing and refining and working at something," he said.
Meyer also feared a new location wouldn't live up to the original.
"The other side of that coin is that the minute we open the doors, we're fairly confident there will be a lot of people who want to be among the first to stand in line. And we don't want to disappoint people," Meyer said.
Since then, Shake Shack has expanded to 63 locations in nine countries around the world and $82 million in revenue.