Shake Shack to open in Lake Grove

Shake Shack, the wildly popular burger-and-shake chain, is opening in Lake Grove. Company representative Laura Enoch confirmed that the restaurant would be one of the tenants in the building that currently houses John Harvard's Brewery & Ale House in Smithhaven Plaza. Chipotle Mexican Grill will also take up residence in the redeveloped site, Enoch said.

Shake Shack had announced in March that it was also planning to open on Route 110 in Melville. Enoch said that both locations “are set to open late 2016, but it’s too soon to tell which would precede.”

Long Island’s first Shake Shack, in the Gallery at Westbury Plaza in Garden City, opened in November 2012; the second opened in the Lake Success shopping center in New Hyde Park in September. Both have been mobbed pretty much since opening their doors.

Shake Shack's savory menu comprises hormone- and antibiotic-free Angus-beef burgers ($5.19 to $9.49), split-and-griddled hot dogs ($3.25 to $4.50), fries (previously frozen, $2.95), wine and beer (including Brooklyn Brewery's Shackmeister Ale on tap, $5.50 for 16 ounces). On the sweet side is frozen custard in vanilla, chocolate and a flavor of the day, made fresh daily at each Shake Shack. It can be ordered in a cup or cone ($3.50 to $4.50), a pint ($6), or in a shake or ($5.50) or float ($5.25) or "concrete" (custard blended with mix-ins, a Midwestern specialty).

Shake Shack is an updated take on a classic Midwestern roadside burger stand, albeit one with its own proprietary wine and craft beer. The first Shake Shack opened in 2004 in Manhattan’s Madison Square Park. Spun off from Danny Meyer's Union Square Hospitality Group, the company, which went public in January, now operates 78 branches in the United States and abroad.

Shake Shack will face some stiff competition in Lake Grove: Bobby’s Burger Palace -- the burger chain owned by celebrity chef Bobby Flay -- is about a half-mile away.