Sure, there are lots of burger places, but there’s only one Shake Shack – and the newest location is in Fairfax City. Situated in a prime spot between Routes 50 and 29, it’s in the Kamp Washington Shopping Center.

It officially opened Wednesday, Sept. 17, at 11040 Main St. The hours are Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m., and Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m.

“We are so thrilled to be here,” said Central Fairfax Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Jennifer Rose. “Even though it’s a little drizzly outside, we know that Shake Shack brings sunshine into our days – especially with those shakes.”

Fairfax Mayor Catherine Read couldn’t attend the ribbon cutting because she had other mayoral duties that day at the same time. So Rose served as mistress of ceremonies. Joining her to represent the City were Economic Development Authority Vice Chair Patrick Soleymani and Commissioner of the Revenue Page Johnson. 

“We’re very excited to have Shake Shack come into the City of Fairfax,” said Rose. “As Mayor Read likes to say, ‘You had a choice to make, and you chose the City of Fairfax.’ So we’re grateful for that and for having another outstandingly delicious burger place here. This is very close to the mayor’s neighborhood, so I’m sure you’ll see here in here, from time to time.”

Speaking next was the new restaurant’s general manager, Mike Lloyd. “We are so happy to be here,” he said. “It’s been a long time coming. I’ve been waiting on this store for about a year, and we’re finally here.”

“I hired some good people from the area, so we’re a part of this world here,” he continued. Noting that he and the other employees couldn’t wait to officially open Shake Shack’s doors to customers – many of whom were already lined up outside – Lloyd said, “We’re about 30 minutes away.” Then smiling broadly to the ribbon-cutting attendees, he told them, “Welcome to the Kamp Washington Shake Shack, y’all.”

Among them was a representative from local charity, Food for Others, and Rose explained why. “One thing I love about Shake Shack is that they love giving back to the community,” she said. “They’ve been doing a canned-food drive for Food for Others’ beautiful pantry in Merrifield. And today, they’re doing a dollar donation for every burger that’s sold.”

After the ribbon was cut, Johnson – who’s also a history buff – took his turn at the mic. “Small businesses contribute to 70 percent of the City’s business revenue,” he said. “And this location right here is a very old one. One of the very first restaurants in the City of Fairfax stood on this location. It was called the Black Lantern Inn, and it lasted for 50 years, so welcome to the City.”

Then, before the doors opened at 11 a.m., Shake Shack team member Tyreek Scott led everyone there in a rousing, synchronized, overhead clap he dubbed the “Shack Clap.” And with that, the restaurant was open for business.

Of the chain’s 13 locations in the commonwealth, this one is the seventh in Northern Virginia. Lloyd said they chose this spot because they believe it has the customer base that’ll enable it to be a success. 

“We like to give back, and we know this area has lots of families and we can be part of the community and help it advance,” he said. “We’ll donate to the local schools and hold special fundraising events for them. I coach for the Fairfax Little League, and my sons go to Robinson Secondary School and have friends who go to Fairfax High – and I’ve hired a lot of them to work here.”

A proud Army veteran, Lloyd has been with Shake Shack for seven years. And since he and his family live in Burke, the new restaurant is near his home. Delighted to have it up and running at last, he said, “I can’t believe it’s finally happened. One of my goals was to be a general manager at Shake Shack.”

Pointing out some of the most popular items, he started with the ShackBurger – a hamburger with cheese, lettuce, tomato and a house-made tangy mayo called ShackSauce. Another is the SmokeShack Burger, with bacon, cheese, Shack Sauce and cherry peppers. And a special offering through the end of the year is the French Onion Soup Burger topped with gruyere cheese, crispy onions, caramelized onions and roasted-garlic parmesan sauce. All burgers are a quarter pound of 100-percent Angus beef.

Other options include chicken meals – such as a crispy chicken breast with avocado, bacon, buttermilk-herb mayo, pickles and lettuce – as well as all-beef hot dogs. Side dishes are fries, cheese fries and bacon-cheese fries.

Drinks include strawberry lemonade, mango “passionade” and cherry limeade with popping boba, in addition to iced tea, juice and fountain sodas. There’s even a selection of beer and wine. But of course, the beverage stars here are the restaurant’s renowned milkshakes. Twelve flavors are available at all times, and the current special shake flavors are banana pudding, campfire s’mores and Oreo cookie funnel cake. Also offered are root beer and Creamsicle floats, plus frozen custard.

Emblazoned on a wall in bright, neon lights is Shake Shack’s motto, “Stand for Something Good,” which refers to the company’s commitment to high-quality food and top-notch service. And Lloyd said the whole Shake Shack team takes it seriously. 

“We’re all about the community, and we want everybody to be happy and have an experience here they can’t have anywhere else,” he said. “I’ve hired people who enjoy making others smile. We want our customers to not just have a meal here and leave, but to remember us and return.”