Shake Shack's eagerly awaited debut in Canada is closer now that the burger chain has chosen one of Toronto's busiest intersections for its first outlet in the country.
The restaurant, whose backers north of the border include the holding company for one of Canada's wealthiest men, said it will open a 5,500-foot restaurant this summer at the northeast corner of Yonge and Dundas Street.
Plans for the first location include exclusive items including a maple salted pretzel shake. The Toronto-exclusive shake combines Shake Shack's soft, premium vanilla frozen custard with the taste of pure Canadian maple syrup to pay homage to Canada's iconic maple syrup industry.
"We're excited to serve up our signature Shack classics along with some Canadian exclusives that we've developed with our local culinary partners to be enjoyed amongst Toronto's dynamic cityscape," Billy Richmond, business director at Shake Shack Canada, said in a statement.
The NYSE-listed Shake Shack announced over a year ago it was partnering with Osmington and Harlo Entertainment to enter Canada this year. The financial relationship was not disclosed.
Founded in 1995, Osmington is a private commercial real estate and investment company controlled by David Thomson, the chairman of Thomson Reuters. Forbes says David Thomson and his family have a net worth of US$66 billion.
Since the original Shack launched in 2004 in New York City's Madison Square Park, Shake Shack has opened more than 520 locations systemwide, including over 320 in 33 United States and the District of Columbia and more than 175 international locations in London, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore, Mexico City, Istanbul, Tokyo and Seoul, South Korea.
The chain has plans for 35 locations across Canada by 2025.
At the first Toronto location, Shake Shack is teaming up with local artist Briony Douglas, who has created an art installation to launch the brand in the city.
"I've been a big fan of the Shake Shack brand for a long time," Douglas said in a statement.