July 16, 2025

A franchise known for its late-night “fat sandwiches” is coming to downtown Sioux Falls.

Tyler and Makenzie Weir are bringing Fat Shack to the 8th & Railroad Center. They’re taking over the former K Restaurant space, which has been vacant since the owner retired in December 2023, and hope to open in early fall.

The menu features eight fat sandwiches served on a long roll.

“All the sandwiches are just kind of crazy fun combinations between chicken fingers, mozzarella sticks, french fries, onion rings, jalapeno poppers, bacon, mac-and-cheese, all in a sandwich and loaded with sauce,” Tyler Weir said.

“They’re to die for. It’s a lot of calories in a sandwich – probably not something that you want to eat every day – but it’s definitely some good kind of just indulgence for sure.”

His “go-to” sandwich is the Fat Shack with cheesesteak, chicken fingers, jalapeno poppers, mozzarella sticks, french fries and honey jalapeno mustard. Another popular sandwich, The Fat Doobie, is loaded with chicken fingers, french fries, onion rings and mozzarella sticks with honey mustard.

The menu also includes single, double and triple quarter-pound patty Angus beef hamburgers, wings and boneless chicken fingers, a Philly cheesesteak, deep-fried desserts and shakes.

While some Fat Shack locations sell beer and even liquor, the Sioux Falls location will not, the Weirs decided. “We didn’t necessarily want to step on Remedy’s toes,” he said of the neighboring brewery.

Weir, a Colorado native, discovered Fat Shack in Boulder, just as that location was opening in 2013.

The chain got its start in New Jersey in 2010, serving sandwiches in the evening and overnight out of a bagel shop after it had closed. Founder Tom Armenti moved to Colorado in 2011 and opened the first full-time Fat Shack in the college town of Fort Collins. Within the first year, college friend Kevin Gabauer joined Armenti to help oversee expansion. Boulder was the second store.

Fat Shack had grown to 11 locations in 2019 and gained national attention when Armenti and Gabauer appeared on “Shark Tank,” gaining an investment from Mark Cuban.

Now, there are 31 locations in 13 states, with Sioux Falls becoming No. 32 and South Dakota No. 14 for the chain.

Weir said the couple has been “looking for something that we could call our own” for several years. They met at SDSU, where Weir was recruited to play football and Makenzie for volleyball. After college, they moved to Colorado where Weir helped open a Scheels store in Colorado Springs and worked his way up in management.

“Along with school and everything, that kind of gave me that foundation to be able to run a business and kind of that itch to have something that I could do for myself,” he said.

As the Weirs started their family, they moved back to South Dakota last year to be closer to Makenzie’s family in Jordan, Minnesota. Weir worked as a contractor for Avera Pace, a regional group-purchasing organization, until being recruited by Cornerstone Caregiving to open an office for its nonmedical in-home care services in Brookings.

Throughout that time, he started “going down the franchising rabbit hole, and Fat Shack just kept popping up.”

Weir sent inquiries to the company but didn’t hear back until January. Since then, things have been falling into place quickly, he said.

Before too long, Fat Shack will become Weir’s full-time occupation.

“It’s not just an investment – just throw money at it and walk away. I’m planning on, especially when we open, probably being there pretty close to seven days a week.”

After Makenzie’s maternity leave ends, she will return to her full-time job working remotely for Phenomenex, a life science company. She’s leading marketing efforts for the restaurant and will help with day-to-day operations on a part-time basis, Weir said.

They’re excited about having Fat Shack downtown at 8th & Railroad Center, 401 E. Eighth St., and capturing the late-night crowd on the weekends after the bars close, Weir said.

Keeping with the slogan of “Late Night Done Right,” Fat Shack’s hours will be 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 3 a.m. Friday and Saturday. The full menu will be available until the doors close for the night.

The quick-serve restaurant will have seating for more than 40 inside and about 20 on the patio behind the building.

The Weirs will begin hiring soon, anticipating a staff of up to 15 workers, with three full-time positions and the rest part time. The opening will coincide with the return of college students, so “hopefully, we’ll get some interest from some good, hardworking college kids that are looking for a fun place to work,” Weir said.

BlackFork Farms had announced plans a year ago to take over the K Restaurant space for a combination distillery, whiskey tasting room, retail store and whiskey/cigar lounge. That lease did not materialize, and the business, which is based near Brandt, continues to look for a suitable location and hopes to have news soon, a spokesperson said.