“They’re probably trying to piggyback on the success of Shake Shack,” said Mandy Shapiro, Shake Shack’s manager. “I’m not saying ‘Malt Shed’ is a direct imitation of our branding, but it’s pretty damn close.”

Sources report that the mysterious new storefront features a minimalistic drawing of a burger. A peek inside reveals sleek stainless steel countertops and a dimly-lit dining area.

“I’m guessing they sell malts and probably burgers of some kind," Shapiro said, scouting out the competitor’s location. “But overall, they’ve remained quite mysterious. I don’t know if they have much of a business model beyond the name ‘Malt Shed’. And the sign out front says that it’s the first ‘Malt Shed’ to open in Providence, which doesn’t seem like a huge deal since I’ve never heard of ‘Malt Shed’ in my life.”

At press time, something called “West Side Pouches” was opening up across from East Side Pockets.