Harlem Shake Franchise

Harlem Shake opened its flagship at West 124th Street and Lenox Avenue in May 2013. Founded by Jelena Pasic, the restaurant drew inspiration from neighborhood establishments including Pan Pan and M&G Diner. Its name honors the original Harlem Shake dance associated with Al B. at Rucker Park. That cultural connection shaped a restaurant concept combining familiar diner food with a setting tied to Harlem’s history.

A second restaurant opened in Park Slope, Brooklyn, in 2021. The brand describes itself as majority women owned and operated by a diverse New York team. Its community involvement includes support for food-insecurity organizations and local cultural institutions, making neighborhood participation part of the business’s public identity.

The company’s franchise announcements describe its next stage of growth. A January 2025 feature republished on its franchise website identified franchisees working on a Philadelphia location. A later announcement reported a Brooklyn franchise agreement signed in January 2026, with site selection underway at that time. These are documented development milestones, rather than a count of restaurants already open.

Harlem Shake’s published franchise materials describe support from site selection and staff hiring through training and the grand opening. Its marketing brochure identifies restaurant-management technology and virtual training platforms among the resources available to owners.

The franchise website says the owner is responsible for finding and developing the restaurant location. The brand can connect the owner with a third-party commercial broker and review the proposed site. It also directs owners toward licensing and permit resources and provides approved vendors for menu ingredients and packaging.

For restaurant development, Harlem Shake has announced a partnership with QSR and R, LLC, a design-and-build firm serving quick-service restaurant concepts. The stated purpose is to carry the brand’s style into new locations while planning kitchen layouts, customer spaces and operational workflows.

After opening, the franchise website describes continuing access to updates on operating processes and marketing practices as the system develops. Its published support resources also include restaurant systems and virtual learning. The local owner’s focus remains putting those resources into practice through a trained team, consistent food preparation and responsive customer service.

Harlem Shake’s appeal starts with a recognizable restaurant experience: a focused burger-and-shake concept, a retro environment and a story connected to a specific New York neighborhood. That gives an owner more to introduce to customers than an interchangeable menu. The setting, service and local relationships all contribute to how a new restaurant expresses the brand.

This opportunity fits an operator who wants to be involved in the details of hospitality. Food consistency, staff communication and the way a restaurant welcomes its neighbors are practical areas where leadership matters. A franchise owner can bring those strengths to a developed concept while building the restaurant’s own place in the community. The combination of a familiar food category and a distinctive cultural identity is the central reason to consider the brand.

Use our food franchise buyer guide to compare restaurant formats, site requirements, staffing and the full opening budget before building your shortlist.