Shake Shack, the popular New York City-based burger restaurant chain, will open its first Wisconsin location on Dec. 6 in Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward.
The opening has been highly anticipated since the restaurant’s announcement in May that it would move into part of the 35,000-square-foot, five-story addition recently built onto the Mercantile Building, located at 220 E. Buffalo St.
When Shake Shack opens at 11 a.m. on its opening day, the restaurant plans to give free burgers to the first 50 people standing in line.
Milwaukee’s Shake Shack will source select menu ingredients from local vendors including Usinger’s Famous Sausage in Milwaukee, Rocket Baby Bakery in Wauwatosa, and Honey Pie Cafe in Bay View and serve beer from Lakefront Brewery, Milwaukee Brewing Co., The Fermentorium, and Miller Brewing Company.
As part of Shake Shack’s corporate philanthropy initiative, it plans to donate 5 percent of sales from its Pie Oh My dessert– a slice of Honey Pie Cafe pie with vanilla custard– to Groundwork Milwaukee, a local nonprofit that supports environmental sustainability through food access and employment.
The chain uses green construction materials to build its locations. Tabletops in the Third Ward location will be crafted from recycled bowling alley lanes and the chairs and booths will be made from eco-friendly materials.
Milwaukee’s Shake Shack will be one of 85 locations in 18 states and Washington D.C. and more than 50 locations across the globe, including London, Istanbul, Dubai, Tokyo, Moscow, Seoul. The first Shake Shack opened in 2004 in New York City.
