Shake Shack Plans to Open Mt. Kisco Location Next Year
News Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
By the middle of 2025, Mount Kisco will be the home for the newest location of one of the most popular burger chains operating today.
Shake Shack is scheduled to move into the roughly 4,000-square-foot vacant space at 176 N. Bedford Rd. by the middle of next year, said Andrew Whitelaw, the architect retained by Shake Shack for the project. The space was previously split between a Dunkin’ and Oishii Asian fusion restaurant.
“We’re working with them on the design of the restaurant,” Whitelaw said of the company. “We’re going to get site plan approval from the town but it doesn’t require zoning or planning (board) review as per the building inspector. So we’re anticipating (opening) probably early summer.”
Whitelaw said the objective is to make the space appear and function like many of its other locations throughout the region. It does not appear that the applicant will need approvals from any of the municipality’s boards, only for the Building Department to give them the green light.
Currently, there are four Shake Shack restaurants operating in Westchester County – in White Plains, Hartsdale, Yonkers and Port Chester.
Whitelaw said that while the seating capacity hasn’t been settled on yet, it will probably accommodate about 75 patrons, including a limited number of outdoor seats. There will have to be a complete renovation of the interior spaces in addition to work on the exterior of the building, he said.
In September, Whitelaw appeared before the village’s Architectural Review Board to highlight what the company had in mind. The angled parapet will be removed and replaced with a more modern look with the Shake Shack lettering and the iron ore coloring.
“So basically, they want to tear off the 1970s Arthur Treacher’s look and bring it into 2024,” Whitelaw told the ARB when he addressed its members at a meeting in September.
ARB Chair Daniel Loughney said at the time that he was pleased with the appearance of the building on the plans.
“I think visually it looks nice, it looks like a Shake Schack,” Loughney said. “There is a very clean look to it.”
Shake Shack will meet the village’s requirements for lighting, Whitelaw said. The parking will remain largely the same as it was when the building was occupied. The landscaping will also not change much from what there is now, he said.
The side where Dunkin’ had operated will be where patrons will enter and place their orders while the other side of the building will accommodate the food pickup.
Assuming Shake Shack opens at that spot, it is the latest shot in the arm for Mount Kisco’s business community in the past few weeks. On Nov. 10, the relocated ShopRite moved from Bedford Hills to the Diamond Properties complex at 333 N. Bedford Rd. Then a week later, Barnes & Noble moved into the nearly 14,000-square-foot space that had been previously occupied by Rite Aid and Walgreen’s on South Moger Avenue.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/
