Shake Shack Seeks Next CEO

Shake Shack will see a changing of guard in 2024.

Today, Dec. 11, the brand announced that CEO Randy Garutti will retire upon the selection of his successor. He will continue to lead the company as CEO and an executive board member through that time. Then, to ensure a proper transition, Garutti is expected to continue as an advisor through the end of 2024.

Danny Meyer, the company’s founder and chairman of the board of directors, recalls in a press release how Garutti first joined Union Square Hospitality Group 24 years ago as the youngest general manager for Tabla and Union Square Cafe. “When we launched a hot dog cart out of Eleven Madison Park in 2001, and then three years later, turned it into Shake Shack—a kiosk in Madison Square Park—Randy asked for the ball. Shake Shack was an overnight hit, but it had not dawned on me that we might grow the business beyond its first park location until Randy urged that we do so with a second Shack, nearly five years later. Now, nearly 20 years and over 500 Shacks later, Randy has more than earned the richly deserved opportunity to think about his next act.”

The board of directors search committee will be led by Meyer and independent directors Chuck Chapman, Jeff Lawrence, Lori George and Josh Silverman.

Today, Shake Shack is in 33 states and 18 countries, with plans for Israel expected to take shape between 2024 and 2033.