Shake Shack to Close as Westfield San Francisco Centre Clears Out Tenants
Shake Shack will permanently close its location inside the Westfield San Francisco Centre on December 14. The announcement follows an ownership change at the downtown San Francisco mall that triggered
Shake Shack will permanently close its location inside the Westfield San Francisco Centre on December 14. The announcement follows an ownership change at the downtown San Francisco mall that triggered a sweeping eviction of remaining tenants.
A notice filed with California labor regulators on November 25 confirmed that the closure will affect 26 Shake Shack employees. The company said its workers have been offered positions at other Shake Shack locations in the Bay Area.
The closure is tied to a change in the mall’s ownership following a foreclosure auction on November 12, where control of the property passed to an entity called DBJPM 2016-SFC Emporium LLC. The new owners are requiring all tenants to vacate. Remaining businesses at the mall received legal notices declaring their leases void.
The Westfield San Francisco Centre, once one of the city’s major retail centers, has experienced a sharp decline since the pandemic began. Between 2020 and 2023, the mall lost nearly half its stores, according to The San Francisco Standard. Nordstrom, the mall’s anchor tenant, closed its flagship store in 2023. Bloomingdale’s left earlier this year.
The departure of these large anchor stores reduced customer traffic and accelerated the downturn for smaller tenants. Other dining spots that have closed in recent months include Jamba Juice, Izzy & Wooks, and Mija Cochinita, as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle.
The mall’s former owners, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield and Brookfield Properties, defaulted on their loans and relinquished the site in 2023. Now, with new ownership in place, what remains of the retail complex is being cleared out.
Shake Shack stated it would continue serving customers at its other locations in the region and emphasized its commitment to supporting displaced workers during the transition.
The future of the Westfield San Francisco Centre remains unclear. The building, previously seen as a key player in downtown’s commercial corridor, now stands mostly empty.