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Shake Shack is taking shape at The Shops at SunVet in Holbrook, with its exterior — decked out in the chain’s signature green-and-black branding — largely finished while crews continue work inside.
The burger, fries and shakes chain has not announced an official opening date, but by all appearances, loyal fans won’t be waiting much longer.
When it does open, it will be Suffolk County’s fourth Shake Shack and the first the South Shore can genuinely claim as its own. The county’s other locations are in Lake Grove and Melville, with a third having recently opened in Selden.
SunVet comeback’s next chapter
The Holbrook location has risen inside what is arguably Long Island’s most closely watched retail comeback story.
The Shops at SunVet is the reincarnation of the old SunVet Mall — a once-bustling enclosed shopping center off Sunrise Highway that opened in 1974 and spent its final years waving goodbye one-by-one to such former retail strongholds as Toys “R” Us, Pathmark and Blockbuster.
A joint venture between Blumenfeld Development Group and Regency Centers has transformed the site into a roughly 168,000-square-foot open-air shopping center.
The plaza has been steadily filling out, with Starbucks, Nordstrom Rack, Sephora and Wonder already open, Whole Foods Market opening on Thursday; and Crumbl Cookies and other stores coming down the pike.
Shake Shack traces its roots to a single hot dog cart in Manhattan’s Madison Square Park in 2001, which evolved into a permanent kiosk by 2004. The chain has since grown into an international fast-casual player, known for its Angus beef burgers, crinkle-cut fries and hand-spun shakes.
South Shore set to get ‘Shacked’
Top: Shake Shack is getting set to open in Holbrook — its fourth Suffolk location (Brian Harmon photo).
