Shake Shack announced it will open its doors to its first Santa Monica location on Sunday, April 18 at 11am.  The new shack will be located in the coveted, former Panera Bread space at 501 Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica, California. This comes at the start of what is sure to be an exciting year of growth for Shake Shack, which is committed more than ever to providing guests with a premium experience as they welcome people back to their dining rooms.

The Shack will be open Sunday – Thursday from 11AM-10pm and Friday – Saturday from 11am – 11pm. In keeping with Shake Shack’s focus on sustainability, the Santa Monica Shack will feature reclaimed wood paneling by Pioneer Works as well as custom solar panels. The shack will also feature a “garden room” with skylights, a spacious outdoor patio and a custom mural by Los Angeles muralist and artist Steph Hendrix, adding to the inviting atmosphere and giving guests a nice spot to snap a photo with their favorite fix.

In an exciting addition, the Santa Monica Shack will offer guests a walk up window & app pick up shelf as part of Shake Shack’s new Shack Track – Shake Shack’s digital pre-ordering and fulfillment experience. Shack Track includes the ability to preorder via app or web and pick up by way of walk up window, curbside pick-up or in-Shack pick-up shelves. 

“After years of searching, we are thrilled to finally bring Shake Shack to Santa Monica,” says Andrew McCaughan, Chief Development Officer of Shake Shack. “I’m incredibly proud of our team for everything that went into this Shack; our commitment to sustainability via onsite renewables,  a beautiful building by Michael Hsu Office of Architecture featuring our garden room, impactful local art by Steph Hendrix, and of course our Shack Track pick up window experience, making it easier for the people of Santa Monica to get their Shack. Pumped to share the Shake Shack Santa Monica experience with the community.”

This location will also take part in Shake Shack’s new pilot program with Restore Foodware’s AirCarbon cutlery and straws, highlighting the company’s mission to reduce waste and work towards a more sustainable world and food industry at-large. Restore Foodware launched the world’s first natural and regenerative foodware made from AirCarbon® in late 2020, a biomaterial certified carbon-negative by SCS Global Services and Carbon Trust, showing it reduces the amount of carbon in the air through production. As a natural material, AirCarbon® contains no synthetic plastics, PLA or synthetic glues, requires no food crops for production and is home compostable, soil degradable and ocean-friendly, degrading naturally if it ends up in the environment.

As part of the larger mission to Stand for Something Good, Shake Shack has also partnered with Westside Food Bank. Founded in 1981, Westside Food Bank remains the primary source of food for social service agencies throughout Western Los Angeles County. The organization ensures that low-income families and their children, as well as seniors, veterans, unhoused people, and those who have lost wages due to COVID-19 have access to free, nutritious food through 55 member agencies. Shake Shack will be donating a burger for every burger sold on opening day to the non-profit organization and is excited to contribute to food security in Los Angeles.

The first 100 guests on opening day who order in-Shack or via the website or app will receive a custom-branded, 16 oz glass showcasing a Shake Shack tribute to the iconic Santa Monica ferris wheel.

Helming the menu and some limited-time item options for Santa Monica is Shake Shack’s Culinary Director Mark Rosati, who has been with the company since 2007 and currently resides in Los Angeles. The Santa Monica Shack will open with a limited menu but will feature all the classics, including the ShackBurger®, crinkle-cut fries and hand-spun shakes. The Shack will also open with some exciting limited time offers such as the Avocado Bacon Burger, a cheeseburger topped with freshly sliced avocado, Niman Ranch applewood-smoked bacon, ShackSauce as well as the Avocado Bacon Chicken, a Crispy chicken breast with freshly sliced avocado, Niman Ranch applewood-smoked bacon, lettuce, pickles, buttermilk herb mayo.