Downtown’s Centennial Yards lands popular burger chain
A national burger chain is headed downtown, the latest tenant planned for a megaproject rising next to Mercedes-Benz Stadium and State Farm Arena.
New York-based Shake Shack has signed a lease at Centennial Yards, the $5 billion project transforming the stretch of parking lots and rail lines once known as the Gulch. The developer, CIM Group, announced the deal Tuesday morning.
The restaurant — known for its “ShackBurger,” crinkle-cut fries and milkshakes — will be part of an 8-acre entertainment district at Centennial Yards.
Neighboring tenants will include a 5,300-seat music venue leased to Live Nation Entertainment and a Cosm immersive theater. Ultimately, the district will have about a dozen operators, including other restaurants and shops.
Shake Shack will occupy a 3,000-square-foot space that spills onto a fan plaza that can accommodate thousands.
“Shake Shack fits a great niche for us,” Brian McGowan, president of Centennial Yards Co., said in an interview Monday. “I think it shows confidence in downtown and in what we’re doing at Centennial Yards.”
Shake Shack could open in time for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, McGowan said. Atlanta will host eight matches during the global soccer event, prompting widespread efforts to beautify and improve downtown.
New retail and restaurant announcements have accelerated this year at Centennial Yards and the adjacent South Downtown project, which is rehabbing dozens of historic buildings.
For example, Chef Todd Ginsberg of The General Muir this month announced a breakfast and lunch concept for South Downtown with partner Josh Kim. Soccer bar Brewhouse Cafe will also expand to the project, with an opening timed to the World Cup.
The pick up in interest is notable for downtown, where leaders have long wanted more restaurants and nightlife near the many tourist attractions, such as World of Coca-Cola and Georgia Aquarium.
Downtown has about 3 million square feet of retail space, and Centennial Yards alone will add about 1 million square feet to the mix.
Still, retail vacancy in downtown was 9% in first quarter, according to Central Atlanta Progress. That’s higher than the metro Atlanta average, which has hovered around 4%, according to real estate services firm Cushman & Wakefield.
“In the next 12 months, we’re expecting numerous new restaurant announcements and openings, primarily in South Downtown and Centennial Yards,” A.J. Robinson, president of Central Atlanta Progress, said in an email.
“Atlantans are curiously searching for new urban food experiences, which they have found in neighborhoods surrounding downtown,” he said. “I believe that curiosity will play out in downtown as well.”
Shake Shack started as a hot dog cart in New York City’s Madison Square Park. Today, it has more than 600 locations across the globe.
That includes nine restaurants in metro Atlanta, from Alpharetta to the Atlanta airport. This summer, Shake Shack opened a flagship location with a full bar at The Battery Atlanta in Cobb County.
Also this year, Shake Shack said it would open an office and training center at The Battery as it plots a path toward 1,500 restaurants across the U.S.
Centennial Yards spans 50 acres downtown, aiming to turn a hole in the urban fabric into a new mini city. Among the recent construction, an apartment tower called the Mitchell just opened.
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