All shook up: New Shake Shack in Bloomingdale will have drive-through lanes, Korean-inspired fried chicken sandwich
Shake Shack, the hot dog stand turned smash burger phenomenon, still makes headlines for its long lines of customers.
The mere mention of Shake Shack coming to Bloomingdale has fans on social media making dinner plans and preparing for a “crazy busy” opening day this Friday.
But there’s something special about The Shack’s arrival, and it has nothing to do with the special sauce: The chain’s new burger joint at Army Trail Road and Springfield Drive will be the first Shake Shack in the state to have a full-fledged drive-through option.
“Located off a major highway and close to Chicago, Bloomingdale is the perfect location for our first drive-through in Illinois — giving guests a more convenient way to enjoy Shake Shack and the ability for us to meet them where they’re at,” a chain spokesperson said.
For the uninitiated, Shake Shack serves Angus beef burgers on pillowy potato buns, crinkle-cut fries bathed in cheese sauce, flat-top Vienna Beef hot dogs, chicken sandwiches and frozen custard shakes. In Bloomingdale, Shake Shack is also rolling out a limited edition Korean-inspired menu through May 20.
The “Korean-style” fried chicken sandwich packs a Gochujang-glazed chicken breast sprinkled with sesame seeds and Choi’s Kimchi slaw under a toasted potato bun.
Sean Gascoigne, the village's community and economic development director, confirmed the Shake Shack is set to open Friday as part of a redevelopment on the corner property.
“There's quite the buzz anytime there's any type of social media post or anything that we do as a village,” he said.
The Old Second National Bank was torn down to make way for the 3,800-square-foot restaurant and a new Second National location with a smaller footprint. The bank is expected to open about a month and a half after The Shack does.
“The attraction of these types of businesses specifically to Bloomingdale, I think it speaks not only to the positive business climate that we obviously strive to maintain here,” Gascoigne said, “but I think it's a direct reflection of our community, our residents, and our elected and appointed officials.”
Shake Shack has been expanding into Chicago's suburbs in recent years starting with an Oak Brook outpost in 2018. The Vernon Hills Shake Shack in late 2020 offered a walk-up window for online customers to pick up their orders, a pandemic-era necessity.
The Bloomingdale restaurant is the first in Illinois to include digital menu boards, a two-lane ordering system and a separate pickup window. There’s also an outdoor patio on the north side of the building.
“We are thrilled to bring our first Shake Shack drive-through to Illinois in Bloomingdale as we continue to grow our footprint across Chicagoland,” Chief Development Officer Andrew McCaughan said in a statement. “The team is looking forward to welcoming the community with our warm hospitality, quality ingredients and exciting menu offerings.”
Shake Shack started as a humble hot dog cart in New York City's Madison Square Park and achieved cult status. The chain has grown to more than 320 restaurants in the United States and over 175 outposts around the world.
On opening day, Shake Shack will donate $1 for every sandwich sold in Bloomingdale to the nonprofit Kids Against Hunger. Hours are 10:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.