DOWNTOWN — Shake Shack plans to open in Willis Tower in 2019, making it the first new restaurant to sign a lease in the tower since Chicago's tallest skyscraper announced a massive $500 million renovation.
The new Shake Shack will move into a new 300,000-square-foot retail center under construction at the base of the 110-story tower at 233 S. Wacker Drive, Equity Office, which manages Willis Tower, said in a press release.
“We’re thrilled to bring Shake Shack to the re-imagined retail and entertainment experience at the iconic Willis Tower,” Andrew McCaughan, vice president of development at Shake Shack, said in a statement. “We’re excited to deepen our roots in this dynamic city and continue to grow our Chicago community.”
The 3,000-square-foot Shake Shack is expected to open in 2019, joining other locations in River North, the Chicago Athletic Association Hotel on Michigan Avenue and the West Loop.
RELATED: Willis Tower's $500 Million Renovation: New Retail, 'Winter Garden' On Deck
Shake Shack is the first restaurant to announce plans to move into Willis Tower's new-and-improved food court underway along Jackson Boulevard. Blackstone Group, the private-equity giant that bought the tower in 2015, said earlier this year it was spending $500 million to spruce up Willis Tower's ground-floor retail and 103rd-floor Skydeck.
The retail — three floors above ground and three floors underground — will be organized around a new "winter garden" with a skylight and rooftop deck. A skating rink could occupy the deck in the winter. Blackstone executives said in February the tower was in talks with five-star restaurants, more casual restaurants, bars and a grab-and-go "fresh market."
About 12 million people walk by the tower every year, Blackstone said.
A rendering of Willis Tower's new retail center at Jackson and Franklin, where Shake Shack is moving. [Equity Office]
