For as quickly as beloved New York City burger joint Shake Shack proliferated across North Texas in three years, it hadn’t yet opened a restaurant in Fort Worth. The wait is over: Shake Shack picked a beefy spot, the Fort Worth Stockyards’ new Mule Alley development, for its first restaurant in Cowtown.

Shake Shack is expected to open at 11 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 26.

Shake Shack landed in North Texas in 2016. Here, in 2017, it opened at Legacy West in Plano. (Jae S. Lee / Staff Photographer)

When Shake Shack made its Dallas debut in September 2016, it was the biggest burger news of the moment and possibly one of the buzziest restaurant openings in North Texas all year. The restaurant has since grown to Plano, Southlake, Las Colinas, Addison and several addresses in Dallas.

Shake Shack sells beef burgers, flat-top hot dogs, crinkle-cut fries and frozen custard. The order-at-the-counter restaurants are casual, and often busy with lines of customers when they open. Avid fans will want this info: The first 100 people in line on Jan. 26 will get free swag.

Fort Worth’s Shake Shack, like many in D-FW, will sell a special-to-Texas Link Burger, which is a cheeseburger topped with a jalapeño-cheese sausage link from Dallas barbecue shop Pecan Lodge.

The restaurant also sells craft beer, which so far appears to be largely Dallas based, with Deep Ellum Brewing Company, Community Beer Company and Four Corners Brewing Co. making the list. Shake Shack also sells proprietary red, rosé and white wine plus a beer made by Brooklyn Brewery, ShackMeister Ale.

Its opening at Mule Alley is significant because it will be one of diners’ first glimpses into a massive project bringing new restaurants, retail, offices and a hotel to the Fort Worth Stockyards.

Other food-and-beverage spots coming soon in Mule Alley include a brewery from Jason Boso (of Twisted Root Burger Co.); Cowtown Winery; Biscuit Bar; a restaurant from Fort Worth chef Marcus Paslay; Salsa Limon and more.

Shake Shack's patio in Fort Worth is dog-friendly. Here, West Hollywood dog Benji gets ready to dig into his Pooch-ini. (Steve MacNaull)

The 180,000-square-foot project converts former mule and horse barns into remodeled yet rustic spaces. On a tour of the construction zone in 2019, crews appeared to be keeping much of the character of the buildings intact, like the hay lofts up high and the exposed brick on some walls. The complex is nestled among some of Fort Worth’s most historic businesses, like Billy Bob’s Texas honky-tonk, M.L. Leddy’s boot shop, Joe T. Garcia’s Tex-Mex restaurant and more.

Chef Tim Love, who operates Lonesome Dove Western Bistro, Love Shack, White Elephant Saloon and a new Spanish tapas bar called Atico, is the most prolific restaurateur to invest in the Fort Worth Stockyards. In an interview in mid-January, Love said the invigoration of the Stockyards (of which Mule Alley is a big part): “In my opinion, I think this will be the greatest development Fort Worth has ever seen.”

The Shake Shack in the Fort Worth Stockyards has pledged to donate 5% of its sales from a dessert called Pie Oh My to the Alliance for Children, a nonprofit that investigates child abuse.

Shake Shack is at 122 E. Exchange Ave., Fort Worth and opens Jan. 26, 2020.

For more food news, follow Sarah Blaskovich on Twitter at @sblaskovich.