Shake Shack Opens At Parkway's Monmouth Rest Area In Wall

WALL, NJ — If you get a traffic alert about unusual volume on the Garden State Parkway in the Wall Township area Wednesday, the cause may be burgers. Or, perhaps, shakes.

That's because the Shake Shack that has had residents salivating for months is opening today. The fast food restaurant — and the rest of the rebuild service building at the Monmouth Service Center in Wall — opens today, according to several reports.

The rest area shut down its services (except for commuter parking) right after Labor Day last year so HMS Host, which has the contract to operate food services, and Sunoco renovated the service area, with the target of reopening by Memorial Day. And while the new service building includes Auntie Anne's pretzels, Starbucks, and a Z Mart, it's the Shake Shack that's gotten the most attention.

The New Jersey Turnpike Authority said the service building at milepost 100 on the Parkway had been in place since the mid-1950s, shortly after the Parkway opened. The new building is 138,300 square feet and was expected to cost between $10 million and $15 million to construct.

The Asbury Park Press report said the Sunoco at the rest area already has been reopened.

The Shake Shack on the Parkway is the first in Monmouth and Ocean counties. A second location is planned at Monmouth Mall in Eatontown.

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