New York City citizen chain Shake Shack has “big plans for Asia,” its chief executive said as the company began a regional expansion.
South China and Macao will be the first place for new stores – with locations in Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Macao’s casino resort The Londoner will open in the coming months, Randy Garutti told CNBC on Thursday.
According to the company’s website, Singapore and Beijing are also preparing for new openings.
Our business was incredibly resilient in Asia.
Randy Garutti
CEO, Shake Shack
The CEO said that the implementation responds to the strong demand over the past year, and will confirm 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 have the eye on Macao and in the south, starting in Shenzhen.”
Overall, the company plans to open 35 to 40 new locations worldwide in fiscal 2021. By 2022, it will add another 45 to 50 openings. Garutti did not say how much of it would be in Asia.
An order fast food meal (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
Shake Shack already has at least 48 locations in Asia, including Japan, South Korea and the Philippines.
Garutti said the brand would continue to work with Hong Kong’s Maxim’s Caterers to facilitate its implementation in Greater China.
He insisted that customers would still enjoy the classic taste of Shake Shack, but he added that some new locations would also feature special shakes, for example in Shenzhen and Macao, as well as local artwork.
“People want us to be Shake Shack of New York,” Garutti said. “They do not want us to change the menu. But what we find ways to do is to have these little combs. ‘