It started out as a hot dog cart inside Madison Square Park in 2001, and its popularity steadily grew.

In 2000, New York City began the rebuilding of Madison Square Park, which had fallen into a state of disrepair and misuse.

[10] In 2004, the city began taking bids to operate a new kiosk-style restaurant within the park; Meyer outlined his idea for the space, and opened the first Shake Shack in July 2004.

[11] Its popularity is such that in the summer at its original location, the wait in line for service can stretch to over an hour, especially on weekends when the weather is pleasant.

[13][14][15] In April 2017 the location completed a month-long renovation that added 586 square feet of space, bringing its seating capacity to 106.

"[18] In July 2011, it was announced that Shake Shack had reached a deal with the MTA to open a location in the lower level of Grand Central Terminal.

[20] This project was delayed because the tenant occupying the space Shake Shack was to take over, Mexican eatery Zócalo, refused to vacate after the expiration of their lease and filed suit, arguing that the "bidding process (for retail space in Grand Central) is corrupted.

[24] Shake Shack's first international expansion took place in April 2011 with the opening of a location in the Mall of the Emirates in Dubai.

[27] By August 2014, Shake Shack outlets had begun operating in California, Connecticut, Delaware, Washington, D.C., Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia, in addition to the New York locations.

[44] On October 10, 2018, Shake Shack announced that it will officially start operations in Singapore at Jewel Changi Airport in 2019.

On August 3, 2019, Utah's first location opened in the suburb of Sandy and was built into a 90-year-old historic elementary and high school.

[51] On January 10, 2022, Shake Shack and South Korean food conglomerate SPC Group announced they would launch 10 Shake Shacks in Malaysia in the next 10 years, with the first store due to open at The Exchange TRX mall in the capital city of Kuala Lumpur.

The first restaurant is scheduled to open in Tel Aviv, with plans to subsequently establish 15 additional branches across the country.

[62] In April 2020, Shake Shack applied for funding through the Paycheck Protection Program due to lost business during the COVID-19 pandemic.

[63] Shake Shack was criticised for utilizing a loophole in the program which allowed it to qualify for monetary aid meant to help small businesses.

[65] In July, it was revealed that Shack Shake founder Danny Meyer's Union Square Hospitality Group took a total of between $11 and $27 million in PPP funding.

[66] Shake Shack has frequently been the headlining restaurant at The Infatuation's EEEEEATSCON food festival in Santa Monica, California, and Forest Hills, New York.

Culinary Director Mark Rosati is known for creating exclusive burger and shake collaborations local restaurants for the festival.

In 2018 he collaborated with Brooklyn's Emily restaurant to create a Shack-style burger topped with American cheese, a special "Emmy" sauce and caramelized onions.

[78] A police investigation found no criminality on the part of the Shake Shack workers and the restaurant was cleared of wrongdoing.

[75] Shake Shack later stated that the strange taste of the drinks may have been caused by faulty cleaning of a milkshake machine.