On Wednesday morning, the Naperville Shake Shack at 404 S. Route 59 officially opened its doors to the community.
“Naperville has everything, so they need to have a Shake Shack,” said Matt Meyer, Regional Director of Operations at Shake Shack.
Starting as a hot dog cart
Before expanding to hundreds of locations across the United States, Shake Shack began as a hot dog cart in New York City’s Madison Square Park in 2001, founded by celebrity chef Danny Meyer.
“We started as a hot dog cart to raise money for a park. So really our mission is to help communities, and being in Naperville is something that we’ve been really looking forward to since the day that we came to Chicago,” said Meyer.
The Naperville restaurant is the company’s 13th location in Illinois, bringing several Shake Shack menu favorites to the community.
“We are known for our burgers and shakes primarily. Our ShackBurger is our signature burger—it’s a cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato, and our ShackSauce, which is a tangy house-made mayonnaise,” said Meyer.
The menu also features chicken sandwiches, flat-top hot dogs, and crinkle-cut fries, among other options.
Shake Shack Naperville hours
For dining, the restaurant offers both dine-in and two-lane drive-thru service. Online ordering and delivery will be available in the future.
Regular dine-in hours will be 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, with the drive-thru open an extra hour later each night.
Shake Shack celebrates its Naperville location’s grand opening
To celebrate its grand opening, the restaurant gave out free Shack swag to the first 100 customers, who received a tote bag featuring a design by urban nature pop artist Eric Junker. The Shack also gave back to its new community.
“The most exciting thing that we’re doing on opening day is that we’re donating $1 from every sandwich that’s sold to Loaves & Fishes Community Services. We’ve actually already donated 80 pounds of food to them, and we’re just excited to be partnering with such a great organization,” said Meyer.
Meyer shared his excitement about Shake Shack joining the Block 59 restaurant and entertainment development at the corner of Route 59 and Aurora Avenue.
“We’re excited to be a part of something that’s new and offering something that hasn’t really existed, at least in this part of Naperville,” said Meyer.
As for being part of Naperville…
“I’ve been working in this place for 18 years. We’re finally in Naperville, I can’t wait. I’m so excited to be able to offer this, and I’m so excited to see the happy faces today and more,” said Meyer.
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