Shake Shack is expanding its Canadian footprint with three additional Ontario restaurants, including its first drive-thru in the province, as the U.S.-based burger chain moves into a broader phase of growth encompassing suburban markets, Western Canada and a wider range of restaurant formats.
New Shake Shack locations are planned for Oakville at 275 Hays Blvd. and Burlington at 4511 Dundas St., with both expected to open in 2026. A third restaurant will open at 3275 Wonderland Rd. S. in London in 2027 and will include a drive-thru, marking the first use of the format for Shake Shack in Ontario.
“We’re thrilled to expand Shake Shack’s presence across Ontario, bringing our signature hospitality, quality ingredients and made-to-order favourites to more communities,” said Billy Richmond, Business Director of Shake Shack Canada. “Oakville, Burlington and London represent exciting milestones in our Canadian growth journey, and we look forward to welcoming new guests and creating memorable Shack experiences in each city.”
The additions deepen Shake Shack’s presence west of Toronto while taking the brand farther into Southwestern Ontario. They also represent another step in a Canadian expansion that has evolved significantly since Shake Shack opened its first restaurant in the country at Toronto’s Yonge-Dundas intersection in June 2024.
Drive-Thru Strategy Expands Beyond Calgary
While London will become Shake Shack’s first Ontario restaurant with a drive-thru, the format is making its Canadian debut in Calgary this month. Shake Shack Canada will open its first Canadian drive-thru at 9253 Macleod Trail SW on August 27, following the chain’s entrance into Western Canada earlier this year at CF Chinook Centre.
The Macleod Trail restaurant has been designed to combine the convenience of a drive-thru with the cooked-to-order food and hospitality model associated with Shake Shack. It will include dine-in seating alongside the drive-thru, with regional elements including Alberta beef and menu items developed with regional producers.
“We’re excited to introduce Shake Shack’s first drive-thru in Canada, giving our guests a whole new way to enjoy the food and hospitality they know and love,” Richmond said when the opening date was announced. “We’ve designed this location to deliver the same cooked-to-order experience Shake Shack is known for, while offering the speed and ease that guests are looking for.”
London will extend the drive-thru format into a second province when it opens in 2027. The two projects broaden the types of sites available to Shake Shack as it builds its Canadian network, adding automobile-oriented locations to a portfolio that has largely centred on urban streets, neighbourhoods and major shopping centres.
Canadian Expansion Moves Beyond Toronto
Shake Shack entered Canada in 2024 with a high-profile flagship at Yonge and Dundas in downtown Toronto. Expansion initially remained concentrated in Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area, with subsequent restaurants opening at Union Station, Yorkdale Shopping Centre and other major retail destinations.
The company announced a further six-location GTA expansion in August 2025, including Kitchen Hub Castlefield, Square One Shopping Centre in Mississauga, Yonge and Eglinton, Vaughan Mills, King Street West and Yonge and Bloor. Those locations gave the brand exposure to a broad range of trade areas and formats, from regional shopping centres and a compact food-court unit to dense downtown neighbourhoods.
Calgary subsequently became Shake Shack Canada’s first market outside Ontario, with CF Chinook Centre marking its entry into Western Canada. The Macleod Trail drive-thru followed, while the newly announced Oakville, Burlington and London restaurants will extend the Ontario network beyond its earlier Toronto and GTA concentration.
Expansion Follows Strategy Outlined by Richmond
The growing variety of locations reflects a strategy Richmond discussed extensively with Retail Insider last year as Shake Shack prepared to accelerate its Canadian expansion. He said at the time that the GTA was “just the beginning” for the brand in Canada and pointed to opportunities beyond Ontario, including Alberta and British Columbia. Alberta has since become Shake Shack Canada’s second provincial market.
Richmond also explained that Shake Shack was not pursuing a single standardized real-estate model in Canada. Instead, the company was selecting spaces and formats suited to individual trade areas, with the expansion encompassing traditional restaurants, shopping-centre locations, compact food-court spaces and urban neighbourhood properties.
That approach was already visible among the GTA locations announced last year. Vaughan Mills involved a much smaller food-court format, while Square One provided a larger restaurant environment. King West and Yonge-Bloor brought the brand into two different high-density Toronto neighbourhoods.
Drive-thrus expand those options further. The Macleod Trail location gives Shake Shack a format suited to Calgary’s automobile-oriented market, while the decision to include a drive-thru in London shows that the company intends to use the format beyond its initial Calgary location.
Canadian Real Estate Strategy Broadens
Shake Shack’s Canadian portfolio now spans several types of retail real estate. The original Yonge-Dundas restaurant put the brand at one of downtown Toronto’s most visible intersections, while Union Station provided access to one of Canada’s busiest transportation hubs. Yorkdale, Square One, Vaughan Mills and CF Chinook Centre brought the chain into major regional shopping centres serving different customer bases.
Neighbourhood and high-street locations have expanded that mix, while Calgary and London bring roadside and drive-thru restaurants into the portfolio. Oakville and Burlington similarly push Shake Shack farther into suburban Ontario, with the Oakville restaurant planned near Dundas Street and Trafalgar Road in a rapidly growing part of the community.
Having several formats available gives the company more options as it searches for sites across Canada. Its growth is no longer dependent primarily on high-profile downtown properties or major enclosed shopping centres, opening additional possibilities in suburban and regional markets.
35 Canadian Restaurants Planned
Shake Shack’s Canadian business is operated through a partnership involving Toronto-based private investment companies Osmington Inc. and Harlo Entertainment Inc. When the Canadian expansion was first announced in 2023, Shake Shack said it planned to open 35 restaurants in Canada by 2035 with Osmington and Harlo, beginning with the Toronto flagship in 2024. The company continues to describe its plans as involving at least 35 locations nationwide.
Shake Shack Canada reported this month that it had seven locations across Ontario and one in Alberta ahead of the upcoming Calgary drive-thru opening. Oakville, Burlington and London add another three restaurants to the development pipeline, leaving considerable room for expansion as the company works toward its longer-term Canadian target.
Real estate selection and lease negotiations have also involved Beauleigh Retail Consultants, which has worked with Shake Shack to identify sites for its Canadian expansion. The rollout to date has included some of the country’s most prominent shopping centres and urban retail districts, alongside the suburban and roadside formats now being added to the network.
Localizing Shake Shack for Canada
Richmond told Retail Insider last year that Shake Shack was adapting elements of its experience for the Canadian market while retaining the brand’s core identity. Canadian restaurants have incorporated domestic beef, chicken and dairy, along with regional suppliers, menu collaborations and partnerships with Canadian artists.
That approach has continued as the company moves into new markets. At the Calgary drive-thru, for example, burgers will use Alberta beef from Beretta Farms, while regional offerings include a Prairie Berry Shake. A hand-painted exterior mural by Calgary artist Larissa Schuler will also be incorporated into the property.
Shake Shack has used restaurant design, artwork and local partnerships to give individual Canadian locations a connection to their communities. Maintaining that approach across a larger and more geographically dispersed network will become increasingly important as the company adds restaurants in new markets.
National Growth Still Has Room to Run
The latest Ontario openings come little more than two years after Shake Shack established its first permanent Canadian restaurant. What began with a flagship in downtown Toronto now includes regional malls, neighbourhood restaurants, compact formats, Western Canadian expansion and drive-thru development, with Oakville, Burlington and London extending the chain farther into suburban and Southwestern Ontario.
There is still considerable geography available as Shake Shack works toward the national network envisioned when it entered the country. Richmond specifically identified Alberta and British Columbia when discussing expansion beyond Ontario with Retail Insider last year. Alberta has since become part of the network, while no British Columbia restaurant has been announced.
The Canadian rollout has moved well beyond Shake Shack’s initial Toronto launch. With multiple restaurant formats now in use and expansion underway outside the GTA, the next phase will show how broadly the brand can build its presence across Canadian markets as it works toward a network of at least 35 locations nationwide.
