Shake Shack To Open Its First Drive-Thru

Shake Shack is entering a new era in off-premise dining as it prepares to open its first-ever drive-thru location on Monday.

Located in Maple Grove, Minn., the restaurant will feature a digital menu board, a two-lane ordering system and a pickup window. Inside, the store will have a split kitchen design with a separate kitchen for drive-thru guests.

“Our Maple Grove opening is a huge step forward for our brand. We’ve been envisioning drive-thru for some time now and have been working diligently to make the experience uniquely Shake Shack. We’re bringing our guests an even greater quality, craft, care and experience while adding a new level of convenience,” says CEO Randy Garutti in a press release. “We’ll be learning a lot from this location and will continue to optimize and adapt as we roll out more of these formats next year.”

As the pandemic has shifted customer preferences, the company says it was forced to become more easily accessible through offerings like multi-channel delivery, enhanced digital pre-ordering, fulfillment capabilities and now drive-thru. Looking ahead, the brand is targeting up to 10 more drive-thru locations in 2022.

According to Shake Shack’s third-quarter earnings call, which took place Nov. 4, digital sales, including orders placed on the Shake Shack app, website and through third-party delivery platforms, represented approximately 42% of sales for the quarter.