Shake Shack to shake up Uptown Dallas

Remember back in 2011 when the California-based In-N-Out burger chain finally arrived in North Texas? It was a moment so emotional that one woman was reduced to tears.

Well, get ready to get the handkerchiefs out again as another chain with a fervent following, New York’s Shake Shack, has announced where it’s going to land when it finally comes to North Texas next year.

It will be part of the new park/patio development near The Crescent Hotel in Uptown Dallas. The restaurant, which began as a hot-dog cart in 2000, now has locations across the country including in Austin, Chicago, Miami Beach, Atlanta, and Las Vegas as well as abroad in Russia, Turkey, the U.K., and Dubai.

Shake Shack is known for its burgers, “flat-top dogs,” crinkle-cut fries, frozen custard, and, of course, shakes. It also may become known for something else: no tipping. Danny Meyer, head of the Union Square Hospitality Group that runs Shake Shack, announced on Wednesday that tipping is being eliminated from all of his restaurants. He says his eateries will have a single total “as if you were buying a sweater at Brooks Brothers,” according to the Kitchenette web site.

While being near the upscale Crescent might seem an odd location for a burger spot, the hotel is in the middle of a $30 million re-do to become more of a destination for more than just the business-suit crowd.

“Shake Shack is a home run for The Crescent. It will open just as The Crescent finalizes its first major renovation in three decades, and it will launch our new corner park in a big way, helping it to become a very energetic and vibrant spot,” said John Zogg, managing director of Crescent Real Estate Equities, LLC, in a release. “Based on the reception that Shake Shack gets at its restaurants across the world, we think those who live, work and visit Uptown are going to love it.”

Shake Shack is also planning another location at the still-under-construction Legacy West development in Plano.

This story was originally published October 15, 2015 at 4:27 PM with the headline "Shake Shack to shake up Uptown Dallas."