Downtown New Orleans Is Getting a Shake Shack (Updated)

After last year’s news that Shake Shack is making its Louisiana debut with upcoming restaurants at the new Louis Armstrong airport terminal and in Metairie, it now appears the cult-burger chain hopes to open a flagship location in Downtown’s Canal Place.

Documents filed with the city’s Department of Safety and Permits last month show that Shake Shack is seeking zoning verification for classification as a “standard” restaurant at 333 Canal Street, meaning it would be able to serve booze (as opposed to a restaurant with a fast-food classification). The address is in the Shops at Canal Place, a retail mall and office tower that arguably serves as New Orleans only “luxury” shopping destination. Eater reached out to company officials for more details and will update if we hear back.

We learned in October that the first non-airport Shake Shack in the greater New Orleans area is landing on Veterans Memorial Boulevard at the corner of Severn Avenue in Metairie, across from Lakeside Shopping Center. Job listings on Shake Shack’s website for that location indicate it will implement a recently-introduced four-day work week for employees, something the brand has been testing out in its Vegas restaurants.

The three new Louisiana Shake Shacks are part of a big year of expansion for Danny Meyer’s highly successful fast food venture — it now has around 180 locations across 26 U.S. states and a number of international locations, with the website touting 40+ new Shake Shacks this year. 2019 will also be the year the company fully ditches plastic straws.

Update: May 29, 2019: Shake Shack has confirmed its plans to open a flagship location in Canal Place via a press release issued Tuesday, May 28, (not sent to Eater), according to NOLA.com. The release says the location will be open before the end of the year. This story was originally published on March 21, 2019.

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• Shake Shack is Finally Coming to New Orleans Metro Area [ENOLA]
• Louisiana’s First Non-Airport Shake Shack Is Headed to Metairie [ENOLA]
• Shake Shack Wants to Entice Workers With Four-Day Workweeks [EATER]
• Shake Shack Is the Latest Big Chain to Ditch Plastic Straws [EATER]