Shake Shack, the fast-food chain known for its burgers, fried chicken sandwiches, and titular shakes, plans on opening three new Orange County locations in Brea, Costa Mesa and Huntington Beach, according to Kate DeMarco, the company’s brand communications specialist.
The beloved burger joint will open in Brea inside the former Corner Bakery location at 103 W. Imperial Highway, which shuttered in August. Shake Shack will also open a drive-through eatery at 20100 Brookhurst Street in Huntington Beach. And in Costa Mesa, an old A-frame IHOP at 333 E 17th Street was razed last year to make room for a third Shake Shake, according to the Los Angeles Times.
While confirming that all three locations will open in 2024, DeMarco couldn’t provide specific dates, saying, “We are still in the very early stages of getting these opened.”
Shake Shack got its start as a small, summertime hot dog stand operating out of Madison Square Park in New York City in 2001 with the goal of raising funds for a public art project. Conceived by Daniel Meyer, the celebrity chef and restauranteur “staffed the cart with off-season coat-check workers from his upscale restaurants,” according to a 2016 article in Mental Floss. Burgers were soon added to the menu, long lines ensued and a smashburger star was born.
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Meyer came up with the now-famous burger joint’s name after watching the 1978 musical “Grease” wherein Sandy and Danny dance on an amusement park ride called the “Shake Shack” while singing “You’re the One That I Want.” (A far better moniker than his other contenders, including Custard’s First Stand and Dog Park.) In July 2004, Meyer converted the hot dog cart into a permanent, kiosk-style fast food restaurant operating under the banner of his Union Square Hospitality Group, which runs a handful of well-heeled New York City restaurants, including Grammercy Tavern and…
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