Shake Shack will open its first Staten Island location at Empire Outlets, New York City’s first and only premium retail outlet center. The new restaurant, located alongside 100 designer retailers and steps from the Staten Island Ferry and New York Wheel, is expected to draw millions of New York City residents and tourists each year.

Shake Shack’s new location will ensure that Staten Island visitors and residents are able to enjoy the 100 percent all-natural Angus beef burgers, crinkle-cut fries, and hand-spun shakes that have made the New York City–based restaurant so popular since its founding in 2004. Shake Shack’s 3,865-square-foot restaurant at Empire Outlets will include a 947-square-foot outdoor dining area offering extraordinary views of the Lower Manhattan skyline. The restaurant is expected to open in March 2018, concurrently with the opening of Empire Outlets.

“Shake Shack is a perfect addition to the mix of retail and restaurants that makes Empire Outlets the future of shopping and dining in New York. Just as Empire Outlets is the city’s first and only premium outlet center, we’re proud to make it the home of Shake Shack’s first Staten Island location,” says Joseph Ferrara, principal at BFC Partners, developer of Empire Outlets. “We are so excited to bring Shake Shack to this community and we can’t wait to see what their team will achieve here. We look forward to creating a fantastic visitor experience and making Empire Outlets one of the city’s top shopping, dining and food and beverage destinations.”

“For years, so many of our guests and team members have hailed from Staten Island and continually asked us to bring a Shack to their neighborhood,” says Randy Garutti, Shake Shack CEO. “With the opening of the Empire Outlets, we’re excited to call Staten Island home.”

Shake Shack’s new location at Empire Outlets will join the outlet center’s diverse group of dining options curated by Michael Brais of Douglas Elliman Commercial, including Two Boots Pizza, Mighty Quinn’s Barbeque, Nathan’s Famous, and MRKTPL, Staten Island’s first-ever artisanal food hall.

MRKTPL, a 12,723-square-foot artisanal food hall with a 3,000-square-foot outdoor dining space, will include more than 30 diverse and unique concepts that showcase the best local and international purveyors in an elegant environment. This best-in-class culinary fare will attract and impress foodies visiting from across the world and cement Empire Outlets as an unmatched dining destination.

“It is an honor to have Shake Shack, one of the country’s favorite restaurants, join the Empire Outlets development,” says Michael Brais of Douglas Elliman. “Shake Shack further elevates the unique experience available at the project. With the roster of tenants we have signed and perhaps the best urban view in the world Empire Outlets will be the top waterfront Food & Beverage destination in NYC and the go to dining hot spot for Staten Island.”

Located adjacent to the St. George Ferry Terminal, Empire Outlets will feature over 100 designer outlet retailers, a boutique hotel with a rooftop venue and a 1,250-space parking garage. Major retailers at the center already include H&M, Nordstrom Rack, Banana Republic, NIKE Factory, Gap Factory, and Columbia Sporting Goods, among others. Eateries are locating to Empire Outlets’ 40,000-square-foot food and beverage deck, which will provide unique views of Manhattan and an unmatched experience for visitors.

The majority of Empire Outlets’ retail and restaurant spaces are already leased and BFC Partners is actively in discussions with several prominent tenants for the balance of the lifestyle center. The project will be situated next to the New York Wheel, which will be one of the tallest observation wheels in the Western hemisphere and is expected to draw millions of riders per year.

Empire Outlets is also a leading partner in Destination St. George, the tourism marketing coalition that is promoting the incredible transformation of Staten Island’s North Shore—one of New York City’s best-kept secrets.

“Destination St. George will feature three of New York City’s top tourist attractions within a three-minute walk of one another, creating a dynamic experience for millions of tourists,” says Travis Noyes, CMO of New York Wheel LLC and senior vice president of Empire Outlets. “Staten Island’s North Shore already enjoys exposure to more than 23 million ferry riders per year, and Empire Outlets and the New York Wheel will bring a new wave of tourism that transforms the North Shore forever.”

Steps from the free Staten Island Ferry and overlooking New York Harbor, St. George is in the midst of a $1.2 billion redevelopment that will bring the world’s largest observation wheel, more than 100 retail brands, two hotels, and more. The founding partners of Destination St. George include Empire Outlets, Lighthouse Point, and the New York Wheel, all of which are expected to open in 2018, as well as Snug Harbor Cultural Center, St. George Theatre Staten Island Museum, and the Staten Island Yankees.