Shake Shack Makes Its Long-Awaited Return to Madison Square Park on Wednesday

Finally, after seven long, burger-less months, Madison Square Park gets its Shake Shack back. The original 10-year-old outpost of Danny Meyer's cult burger stand reopens this Wednesday, having been rebuilt from the ground up so that it can, as the Shack folks put it, "last for many years to come." It's a bit later than expected, but at least in time to catch the real start of summer.

Since Shake Shack never does anything quietly, this grand reopening will involve plenty of freebies and specials. There will be a special burger, the ParkBurger, which comes topped with bacon and cheese sauce made from cave-aged Jasper Hill cheese. Brooklyn Brewery has also created a special beer for the occasion, an unfiltered lager called the "Shack Phoenix." The Brooklyn United Marching Band will be there at lunchtime to entertain the hoards waiting in line, and Bocce's Bakery will be handing out free dog biscuits from noon to 2 p.m. Sadly, no free crinkle cuts for the humans waiting in line, but the first 100 people there do get a free commemorative cardboard model of the original Shack.