A popular burger chain will beef up the Lehigh Valley Mall’s restaurant roster by the year’s end.
Shake Shack, which describes itself as a “modern day roadside burger stand” serving a classic American menu of premium burgers, chicken sandwiches, hot dogs, crinkle cut fries, shakes, frozen custard and more, is planning to open its first Lehigh Valley location on Tuesday at the Whitehall Township shopping center, according to a sign outside the eatery.
“Burger buds… We open on 12/28,” the sign reads. “Yay!”
Lehigh Valley Mall management first announced plans for the Shake Shack restaurant on the mall’s website in the spring.
The newly constructed eatery, with indoor and outdoor seating and a drive-thru, will be adjacent to the area’s first Dave & Buster’s restaurant and entertainment facility, which opened last year. The outparcel is located near the MacArthur Road and Route 22 interchange.
Shake Shack sprouted from a hot dog cart, operating in Manhattan’s Madison Square Park from 2001 to 2003, supporting the Madison Square Park Conservancy’s first art installation, according to the chain’s website.
The cart was “quite the success,” with fans lining up daily for three summers, and in 2004, a permanent kiosk opened in the park.
“An instant neighborhood fixture, Shake Shack welcomed people from all over the city, country and world who gathered together to enjoy fresh, simple, high-quality versions of the classics in a majestic setting,” a message on the chain’s website reads. “The rest, as they say, is burger history.”
Since the original Shake Shack opened in 2004, the company has expanded to approximately 320 locations in 30 states and Washington, D.C., including more than 107 international locations in London, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore, Philippines, Mexico, Istanbul, Dubai, Tokyo, Seoul and other prominent destinations.
Regional locations can be found in Ardmore, King of Prussia and Plymouth Meeting in Montgomery County, as well as Bridgewater and Lawrence townships in New Jersey. There are also a handful of locations in Philadelphia.
The forthcoming arrival of Shake Shake in Whitehall is welcome news for the Lehigh Valley Mall, which lost more than a dozen restaurants and retailers at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.
Prominent departures included Modell’s Sporting Goods, Yankee Candle, casual dining restaurants Frites and Ruby Tuesday, clothing chains Abercrombie & Fitch and New York & Company, footwear retailers Aldo and Clarks and jewelry chains Helzberg Diamonds and Littman Jewelers.
Additionally, The Disney Store, a mall staple of nearly 25 years, closed in September.
In recent months, however, the shopping center has been on an upward swing, bringing in new businesses such as Aslan Jewelers; fashion retailers Ardene, Big Bank Couture, Harlem Vibes and Little TrenzSetters Boutique; Mama Jojo 1-Stop Shop, selling African, Caribbean and Latino clothing and accessories; Pepper Palace, selling all-natural, small-batch hot sauces, salsas, seasonings and more; and Slime Time, allowing children of all ages to make their own slime.
Also, two other businesses — eyewear retailer Warby Parker and pescatarian cafe Almost Vegan — are set to open at the mall in early 2022.
Almost Vegan, serving wild-caught seafood, plant-based dishes and organic smoothies, originally opened in July 2020 at 627 W. Liberty St. in Allentown.
Husband and wife co-owners Anthony and Nadia Alexander are planning to move the restaurant to the mall for more space and foot traffic “hopefully before February,” Nadia said.
Menu highlights include breakfast items such as mung bean eggs, quinoa grits, avocado spelt toast and wild blueberry pancakes; lunch options such as vegan pizza, Maryland-style crab cakes and a teriyaki grilled shrimp kabob salad; and vegan desserts such as vanilla walnut cake and apple caramel cheesecake. Tacos, featuring grain- and soy-free shells, are available in two varieties: salmon and fennel bean.
“We have seafood dishes with vegan sides, but we also have entirely plant-based options as well,” Anthony said. “So vegans, transitioning vegans and people who just prefer not to eat red meat will all find something that they can enjoy.”
At the second-level mall space, which previously housed Subway, the Alexanders are planning to update the business’ menu to include more vegan and seafood dishes. Popular staples will continue to be offered.
“We’ll definitely carry over our mushroom platter as that’s probably our most popular platter, especially among vegans,” Nadia said. “We’re also still going to have the salmon sliders and fish tacos.”
Warby Parker, offering “high-quality eyeglasses, sunglasses, contacts, and eye exams at an affordable price,” will open its first Lehigh Valley location at the mall’s outdoor lifestyle center. The space previously housed handbags and accessories brand Coach.
The forthcoming Whitehall store is hiring for more than a dozen positions, including optician, optical supervisor, sales manager and store leader, according to postings on the business’ website. The online job listings also indicate the store is set to open in “spring 2022.”
Warby Parker, which originally launched online in 2010 and has since expanded to more than 150 locations across the United States and Canada, “pioneers ideas, designs products, and develops technologies that help people see” — from designer-quality prescription glasses (starting at $95) and contacts to eye exams and vision tests available online and in stores, according to a message on the business’ website.
Headquartered in New York City, the company aims to demonstrate that businesses can be profitable and do good in the world “without charging a premium for it.”
The mission stems from the experiences of its founders, including one who lost his glasses on a backpacking trip and couldn’t replace them due to the high cost. He’d spend his first semester of graduate school without them, squinting and complaining.
“Warby Parker was started to create an alternative,” a message on the business’ website reads. “By circumventing traditional channels, designing glasses in-house, and engaging with customers directly, we’re able to provide higher-quality, better-looking prescription eyewear at a fraction of the going price.”
The brand “believes in vision for all,” and through its “Buy a Pair, Give a Pair” program, it distributes a pair of glasses to someone in need for every pair of glasses or sunglasses sold. To date, Warby Parker has partnered with nonprofit organizations to hand out more than eight million pairs of glasses to individuals in need.

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