[category]
[title]
Melbourne is lucky to be home to some truly brilliant burger joints, but we've got to admit: sometimes, we're curious about what the burgers from famous US fast food joints taste like. Well, if you've always wanted to try America's famous Shake Shack without boarding a plane, you're in luck. For the first time ever, the cult brand – reportedly a favourite of celebrities like Hailey Bieber and Chrissy Teigen – has opened as a tasty pop-up at the Australian Open.
The New York-born business, which started out as a humble hot dog cart in Madison Square Park back in 2001, will operate across Topcourt and John Cain Arena until February 1. Visitors can get their hands on the chain’s signature ShackBurger (a single cheeseburger with a smashed Angus beef patty, American cheese, lettuce, tomato and that legendary 'Shack Sauce' on a potato bun), and to sweeten the deal, the team will also be whipping up an AO-exclusive shake.
“We’re committed to making the AO not just the best Grand Slam on court, but also the best off-court, and food and drink are central to that experience,” said Tennis Australia’s Head of Product Growth and Innovation, Fern Barrett.
Shake Shack is just a small part of what's an exciting food and drink line-up for the 2026 tournament, with the wildly popular Peach Melbourne – a peach sorbet, vanilla soft serve and raspberry-dust dessert that sold more than 112,000 servings at the 2025 event – set to return, as well as the Grey Goose Lemon Ace cocktail, a drink that was inspired by the US Open’s popular Honey Deuce. And if burgers aren't your thing, there'll also be Japanese-style convenience food from Suupaa and a wider selection of eats from Fishbowl, Hector’s Deli and heaps more.
Barrett has also revealed the event will also be rolling out more in-seat ordering, roving vending and automated snack stations to keep queues down so fans can “get straight back to the tennis”.
If the burgers are a hit, who knows? Maybe Shake Shack will stick around for good! But for now, consider the Australian Open your golden ticket to this cult fave.
Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Melbourne newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.