New York’s burger chain, Shake Shack, has “big plans for Asia,” its CEO said, as the company embarks on a regional expansion.
South China and Macao will be first in line for new outlets – with locations in Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Macau’s casino resort The Londoner is set to open in the coming months, Randy Garutti told CNBC on Thursday.
Singapore and Beijing are also preparing for new openings, according to the company’s website.
Our business has been incredibly resilient in Asia.
Randy Garutti
CEO, Shake Shack
The CEO said the launch is in response to strong demand over the past year and will strengthen Asia as “one of the most important positions” in the company.
“Our business has been incredibly resilient in Asia,” Garutti told Street Signs.
“We opened in Shanghai. Even last year, due to the pandemic, we opened in Beijing in August. We now see Macao and the south, starting with Shenzhen.”
Overall, the company plans to open 35-40 new locations globally in fiscal year 2021. In 2022, it will add another 45-50 openings. Garutti did not say how many of them will be in Asia.
An order of fast food (hamburger, chips and soft drinks) at a Shake Shack restaurant at Sanitun on August 13, 2020 in Beijing, China.
VCG | Visual China Group | Getty Images
Already, Shake Shack has at least 48 locations in Asia, including Japan, South Korea and the Philippines.
Garutti said the brand will continue to partner with Maxim’s Catering in Hong Kong to facilitate its launch in the China Sea.
He insisted that customers will continue to enjoy the classic taste of Shake Shack, although he added that some new locations will also feature specialty shakes, for example in Shenzhen and Macao, as well as localized artwork.
“People want us to be Shake Shack in New York,” Garutti said. “They don’t want us to change the menu. But what we find is to have these little cameos.”