Shake Shack opening new NC location just before Christmas. Here are the details.

Tammy Grubb

Shake Shack will open its doors in Chapel Hill on Dec. 22, proving to fans of its hugely popular burgers, shakes and fries that holiday wishes really do come true.

The company announced the grand opening of its newest store at the Eastgate Crossing shopping center on East Franklin Street in a news release Thursday afternoon. The store, the restaurant’s second location in the Triangle, will open at 11 a.m. in the former Zoes Kitchen, and before that, Boston Market, building near Chopt.

The company is still hiring staff, and people interested in applying for a job can stop by the store in person or apply online at ShakeShack.com/Join-Our-Team, according to the release.

A Shake Shack restaurant that opened in Cary’s Waverly Place in August 2019 was greeted with long lines of customers, The News & Observer previously reported. A third location is planned for Raleigh in 2023.

The first 100 customers at the Chapel Hill store will receive a limited edition Shake Shack gift, the release said. Local artist DJ Nevy will entertain, and The Chamber For a Greater Chapel Hill-Carrboro will help with the official ribbon-cutting at 10:30 a.m., it said.

Kite Realty Group is planning to add Shake Shack, an internationally known upscale casual burger restaurant, to its tenants at Eastgate Crossing shopping center in Chapel Hill.
Kite Realty Group is planning to add Shake Shack, an internationally known upscale casual burger restaurant, to its tenants at Eastgate Crossing shopping center in Chapel Hill.

Shake Shack also will donate $1 for every sandwich purchased on opening day to PORCH Chapel Hill-Carrboro, a nonprofit hunger relief agency based in Carrboro, it said. Shake Shack customers can help by bringing a nonperishable food item to the store, it said.

The restaurant will be open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., with both indoor dining and a large, covered outdoor patio. Customers also will be able to order ahead by phone or through the Shack app. Curbside pickup will be available, the release added.

In addition to traditional favorites, the store will offer limited-edition menu items, including the new Hot Ones Burger and Hot Ones Chicken Sandwich, as well as seasonal lemonades and shakes, in the new year.

A “Smoke Shack” (top) and a “Shack Burger” along with fries and a strawberry shake at this Shake Shack spot in Coral Gables, Fla. PATRICK FARRELL MIAMI HERALD STAFF
A “Smoke Shack” (top) and a “Shack Burger” along with fries and a strawberry shake at this Shake Shack spot in Coral Gables, Fla. PATRICK FARRELL MIAMI HERALD STAFF

Kite Realty Group acquired the 1950s-era Eastgate Crossing shopping center at 1800 E. Franklin St. in late 2020 from Federal Realty Investment Trust. Kite Realty has since made a number of improvements to the center, including the addition of new stores, such as Germany-based discount grocer Aldi and the relocated Kipos restaurant.

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