MANHATTAN — Shake Shack king Danny Meyer is opening a new restaurant in Manhattan — at the Whitney Museum of American Art.
Meyer, known for his ShackBurgers and the Union Square Cafe, will be the exclusive caterer for all events and open a cafe there this fall, the Whitney announced, adding downtown foody cool to the staid Upper East Side museum.
The cafe will replace Sarabeth's, which will close on Jan. 17 after almost 20 years at the Whitney. Sarabeth's was unable to handle the large-scale catering needs of the museum, a restaurant spokesperson said in a statement.
"We are deeply grateful to Sarabeth's for feeding so many hungry art lovers and providing many years of outstanding service to the Whitney and its patrons," Adam Weisberg, a museum director, said in a statement.
Meyer's Union Square Hospitality Group's catering division, Hudson Yards, will cater all museum events. A "pop-up" version of Meyer's cafe will operate during renovations to the Sarabeth space.
In addition to Shake Shack, which is opening two new Manhattan locations this year, the Union Square Hospitality Group owns the Union Square Cafe, Gramercy Tavern and Blue Smoke, as well as outposts at The Museum of Modern Art and Citi Field, among others.
