Shake Shack to close underperforming central Ohio location

COLUMBUS, Ohio ( WCMH ) — Shake Shack is closing one of its central Ohio restaurants, among nine locations nationwide that the chain is shuttering due to underperformance.

The New York-based chain is set to close its restaurant at 1370 Polaris Parkway by Sept. 25, according to a recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The Polaris eatery has been marked for closure along with the eight other locations, given the restaurants “are not projected to provide acceptable returns in the foreseeable future,” the filing states.

“After careful consideration, we’ve made the tough decision to close a small group of Shacks due to various factors, including underperformance,” said Rob Lynch, Shake Shack CEO, in a statement to NBC4. “We remain focused on supporting our team members through this transition and look forward to continuing our growth, opening many more locations across the country.”

The other closures include six restaurants in California and two in Texas.

Shake Shack said in the filing the company “currently does not anticipate closing any additional shacks based on this evaluation.”

Lynch argued the brand is “in a period of considerable growth” and noted it plans to open 40 new company-owned Shacks and 40 more licensed Shacks this year.

The burger chain still operates three other central Ohio restaurants, its first in Easton Town Center at 4005 The Strand W., another in the Short North at 740 N. High St. and the third in Dublin at 3734 W. Dublin-Granville Road, which launched last year .

The Polaris location opened in 2021 and was the company’s third restaurant in central Ohio.

Shake Shack is one of several restaurants that are shuttering near Polaris this year, including Matt the Miller’s Tavern, which closed in February after 10 years of business. The tavern welcomed patrons for the last time on Valentine’s Day after owner CLB Restaurants opted not to renew the tavern’s lease.

Mackenzie River also closed in late winter and auctioned off its furniture ahead of the building’s demolition to make room for a new Chick-fil-A. The restaurant launched in 2016 after Montana-based Glacier Restaurant Group purchased all Max and Erma’s locations and transformed several into Mackenzie River eateries.

Winking Lizard Tavern closed its Polaris restaurant last December . The chain said on social media that the location hasn’t thrived since businesses and offices in the area started vacating in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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