The fast-food company’s first Canadian location will take over the northeast corner of Yonge-Dundas Square in Toronto with a 5,500 square-foot space once home to an Adidas.
Shake Shack's Canadian debut comes as several other fast food chains plot expansions in the country. Inspire Brands will bring sandwich chain Jimmy John's to Canada soon, while Redberry Restaurants is plotting to open more than 300 Jersey Mike's locations in the country by 2034. "They're coming from a market that's $800 billion in size to a market that's $90 to $100 billion in size here in Canada," he said.
"They won't have to rely so much on discount and dealing because Canadians are more willing to pay for quality, innovation, those types of things," Carter said. Burgers, including chicken varieties, ranked third with about 9.8 per cent of orders, down 0.6 per cent from 2022. The shake, which Richmond said is meant to be rich, sweet and"nostalgic," is the product of lots of tinkering in the kitchen.