[EXCLUSIVE] Shake Shack Scores Space in Suburban Shopping Center

With three new locations already in the works for Georgia, Shake Shack is preparing to sink its teeth into another metro community.  

The popular burger joint which this past June opened a new location at The Battery Atlanta and will soon open a new Store Support Center at the project, too, is planning to add to its growing metro Atlanta presence with a restaurant in East Cobb.  

The new Shake Shack is planned for an outparcel (1281 Johnson Ferry Road) of the Kohl's and Whole Foods anchored Merchants Walk.  Specifically, Shake Shack will backfill the former Duck Donuts and the current Mirko Pasta, according to documents reviewed by ToNeTo Atlanta.  The combined restaurant would measure about 3,600 square feet.  

Duck Donuts closed in their 1,350 square foot space this past August after six years in business.  Mirko is still open and operating but has been repeatedly listed for sale in recent years.  

The new Shake Shack would be situated opposite an existing Chipotle in the freestanding multi-suite outparcel.   

In East Cobb, Shake Shack joins Five Guys in East Cobb Crossing shopping center, Wendy's on Johnson Ferry across from Merchants Walk and Movie Burger in Paper Mill Village as burger options in the area.  

ToNeTo Atlanta reported in late August that Shake Shack is also opening a new restaurant along Barrett Parkway in Kennesaw which will give the chain a coveted drive-thru lane.  Another drive-enabled Shake Shack is coming to Athens where it will replace a short-lived Gusto on Alps Road.  Shake Shack is also expected to open a new restaurant on Centennial Olympic Park Drive as part of upcoming Centennial Yards project in Downtown Atlanta.  

Shake Shack, which got its start as a food cart in New York's Madison Square Park in 2004, has today grown into a publicly traded company with about 400 locations across the country and more than 600 worldwide.  The company has said it plans to one day have at least 1,500 globally.     

In metro Atlanta, Shake Shack currently operates nine units: Buckhead Village District and Lenox Square in Buckhead, Perimeter Mall in Dunwoody, EDGE on the Atlanta BeltLine in Old Fourth Ward, Concourse A of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Alpharetta Crossing in Alpharetta, Piedmont Park in Midtown, at Westside Provisions District in West Midtown and their newest at The Battery Atlanta. 

Are you excited for the planned opening of Shake Shack in East Cobb?  Where else would you like to see Shake Shack open?  What is your "go to" spot for a casual burger (or veggie burger) in metro Atlanta?  

Please share your thoughts below.