11 Tips To Know On Your First Visit To Shake Shack

Ah, Shake Shack. Prices are high and wait times are long, but the food is delicious. In fact, it's so delicious that it's inspired a cult following despite having considerably fewer restaurants than many of its competitors. As of this writing, where I'm based in Wisconsin, there are a measly three Shake Shacks. But lucky for me, I've never lived more than a 15-minute drive from any of them. And if you live in the state with the most Shake Shacks as of 2023, consider yourself truly blessed (and my sincerest apologies to the folks who live in states without any Shake Shack locations — that's incredibly tragic).

But for the uninitiated, I encourage you to drop what you're doing and head to Shake Shack immediately. Okay, maybe not immediately, but that's because you need to educate yourself with these 11 tips before your first visit to Shake Shack. These tidbits of information will set your expectations, inform your order, and help you make the most of your experience. Take it from a Shake Shack regular: It's important to know what you're in for, because you may otherwise find yourself bamboozled by the prices and the wait time. So, read on, and if you feel your stomach rumbling by the end, hop in the car and go get that burger. All prices are accurate as of writing, but may vary depending on the location.

Burger joints often carry the reputation of being cheap, quick, and low-quality. But when it comes to Shake Shack, you should expect to shell out a little more cash for your meal. While McDonald's can sling value meals with a burger, fries, and a beverage for between roughly $10 and $15 in Madison, Wisconsin, a Double ShackBurger alone at Shake Shack is nearly $10 in the same city without a side or a drink. If you customize your burger, tack on some fries, and add on a soda, your Shake Shack run can easily top $20. Bring a friend along, and you could be paying close to $50 for two meals and a milkshake.

So, take it upon yourself and carve out some cash in your budget for your burger cravings. These prices might seem egregious, but take a bite of your burger and slurp some of that milkshake, and you might just begin to appreciate those high prices. While Burger King and Wendy's are passable on good days, Shake Shack consistently delivers delicious products. The burger joint's sandwiches are a cut above the rest, and on the dessert front, Shake Shack is also one of the chains that serve the highest-quality ice cream.

Specialty and limited-time burgers are fun to dabble in, but everyone has their go-to order. There's something about getting a good burger made just the way you like it that makes your dining experience extra special. While toppings like lettuce, tomato, onions, and pickles are commonplace at burger joints, Shake Shack has a few customization options that are definitely worth exploring.

For example, you'll want to try the cherry peppers, which make even the most basic burger sparkle. It's got a relish vibe and adds the perfect bit of tanginess, plus a hint of spice and sweetness. Also, make sure to try the avocado on your sandwich, which adds a creaminess that's totally different than what you get with mayo-forward sauce options. The freshness of the avocado also works quite nicely alongside more classic toppings. As far as onions go, you can get them sliced raw, or jazz them up with caramelized onions or crispy onions (my personal favorite, which adds even more texture to the sandwich).

Additionally, you can add more patties to make a double or a triple and swap the standard bun for a lettuce wrap or a gluten-free bun. Of course, Shake Shack wouldn't be Shake Shack if it didn't try to gouge us at every turn, so most of these modifications come with an upcharge.

Part of the appeal of a fast food restaurant (or, technically, fast casual in the case of Shake Shack) is knowing that regardless of which location you visit, you can expect the same items with consistent taste at dependable prices. While you're guaranteed to snag a burger, fries, and shake at pretty much every single Shake Shack location, this chain also does something a little different: Select Shake Shacks feature unique products that reflect the locale.

For example, if you pop by the Irvine Spectrum location in California, you can sip on the OC Dreamsicle Shake and bask in the orange flavor that echoes the citrus fruit grown abundantly throughout the region. Additionally, some Northern California Shake Shacks feature the Golden State Double, made with regenerative beef and slathered in a smoked garlic aioli. Meanwhile, in Silverlake, California, you can enjoy the aptly named Silverlake Burger, which is topped with honey mustard pickles made by local business Kaylin + Kaylin Pickles.

Head toward the Rockies, and you'll find the Green Chile CheddarShack in Colorado. In New York City's Madison Square Park location, there's the Shackcago Dog. And at some airports, there's apparently even a breakfast sandwich. Once you've familiarized yourself with Shake Shack's typical menu offerings, it'll become easy to spot these one-of-a-kind items.

If you're looking for a thin and crispy french fry, you might be disappointed by what Shake Shack has to offer. It slings crinkle-cut fries that are inherently fluffier and more potato-forward than other burger joints. Sadly, some customers have compared them to the french fries you find in the frozen aisle of the grocery store — not very complimentary. With burgers this good, you'd think the chain would have perfected its fries. Thankfully, there's a hack to improve your fries. Just pop over to the register and order them well done.

The result is a deeper golden color, with significantly more crunch than the french fries cooked for the standard amount of time. Most of the time, the staff will be accommodating of this request (be polite about it), and Shake Shack will cook your fries a tad longer in the fryer. Note that there isn't an option for well-done fries when ordering at the kiosk or online, so you really do need to order at the cash register and make your request (be gone, social anxiety). But you probably want to know the truth about self-serve kiosks at fast food restaurants anyway, because the reality of this technology isn't all that appealing.

If you're still committed to ordering Shake Shack's crinkle-cut fries and don't want to go out of your way to improve them by requesting that they're well-done, you may want to opt for the cheese fries instead. Shake Shack has an ooey, gooey cheese sauce that is delicious on its own but really complements the soft potato-ey-ness of the crinkle cuts. It takes a mid side dish and elevates it to star-of-the-show status.

Keep in mind that the cheese fries are not finger food. This is a dish best tackled with a fork and plenty of napkins. Have faith that soggy fries can be a vibe if you just lean into it. The limited-time spicy cheese fries with ranch are good too if you time your visit right, but the addition of a side of ranch dressing is a bit gratuitous, in my opinion. There's no need to add more liquid to this soggy situation.

The bacon cheese fries are really tasty too, and the bacon bits add an extra hit of saltiness with some much-needed texture. Just be aware that these meaty sprinkles make the bacon cheese fries a dollar more expensive than the classic cheese fries. It's up to you to decide whether that upcharge is worth it.

It's common dining advice that you should order a restaurant's specialty; spaghetti at a sushi restaurant is all but guaranteed to be disappointing. But even if Shake Shack carries the reputation of being a burger joint, I beg of you: Don't overlook the chicken sandwiches. They're some of the most delicious items on the menu.

The avocado bacon chicken is a standout on the Shake Shack menu. You get a significant portion of chicken that's fried to an impressive crispiness. The bacon adds the perfect salty, umami-tinged flavor that balances out the creaminess of flavorful buttermilk herb mayo and the velvety avocado. (And yes, avocado does belong on a chicken sandwich.) The limited-time West Coast chicken sandwich rolled out in July 2026 was delicious, too — the sour cream and onion sauce was truly unique.

Yes, they might be more expensive than the sandwiches you'd find at Chick-fil-A or Popeye's, but they're worth ordering, especially when you consider the gargantuan portion sizes. The taste and value of the sandwich make it hard to beat.

In the age of Impossible Foods and modern cheese substitutes that taste shockingly like the real thing, you'd think every burger chain would have decent plant-based options. Well, in the case of Shake Shack, it really only has one. Kind of.

To Shake Shack's credit, its Veggie Shack is actually phenomenal. The patty is a surprisingly delicious combination of veggies and grains, and the crispy onion topping really sends the sandwich over the top. Topped with cheese, it's ideal for vegetarians, but less so for vegans. However, you'll have to put in some work in order to convert the Veggie Shack into a truly vegan-friendly, plant-based sandwich. You can remove the cheese, crispy onions (which contain milk in the batter), Shack Sauce, and swap the bun (also containing dairy) for a lettuce wrap. But after stripping back the Veggie Shack to its bare bones, you'll need to layer in flavors again. My advice? Add avocado and cherry peppers (yes, even with the upcharge), and maybe some sliced onions and tomato if that floats your boat. The sandwich will have much more dimension that way.

To round it out, the fries are a safe bet, and a lemonade or iced tea makes a good liquid companion. Sadly, the milkshakes are off limits. Customers report that as of 2024, Shake Shack's dairy-free shakes can no longer be found in stores. With all these limitations in mind, you might want to offer up an alternative for your vegan friends. Rather than Shake Shack, consider checking out one of the hands-down best vegan restaurants in every state.

As far as high-quality fast food goes, Shake Shack is toward the top of the list. But first-rate taste takes time. In 2023, the consumer polling and market research organization CivicScience reported that more than 75% of fast food customers expect their food to be ready in five minutes or less. Nearly 60% of respondents had the same expectations for fast casual restaurants, which better describes Shake Shack. While that goal might be feasible for chains like McDonald's or Chick-fil-A, don't expect the same speed from Shake Shack.

When you order food at Shake Shack, it's made to order. So, be patient while the team whips things up for you. In my experience, a 10 or 15-minute wait time is not out of the ordinary, especially if there's a rush, so exercise a little patience. Go ahead and find a good table (booths along the windows are always my go-to), grab your napkins and ketchup, then settle in.

Take some time to appreciate the fact that you don't have to assemble your lunch that day, and be sure to be kind to the staff — food service can be stressful. And, let's be honest, impatience and frustration won't make your burger taste any better. Simply enjoy the dining room experience and indulge in your delicious meal.

The fact that more and more Shake Shack locations are being built with a drive-thru might seem like a gift from the heavens, but trust me when I say it's absolutely not. The company only started adding drive-thrus to its repertoire in 2021, and it certainly has not perfected the system.

Shake Shack food is made to order, too, so wait times are inherently longer than chains like McDonald's or Burger King, where your burger may have spent time hanging out under a heat lamp. But that fresh, hot burger is part of the appeal of Shake Shack. So, when you try to translate that to a drive-thru, it should come as no surprise that the quality just won't be the same. By the time your meal is bagged, passed through the window, and you get around to consuming it, the magic of Shake Shack has been lost.

And, it should be noted, that if you're in a hurry, don't bother swinging through the drive-thru. The wait will feel impossibly long, and your meal will be tainted with the taste of impatience. It's a way more pleasant experience to eat inside the dining room. But if you have an aversion to exiting your vehicle in order to consume food, you're better off popping by Chick-fil-A. You'll zoom through in just a couple of minutes because the chicken chain has its drive-thrus down to a science (and its ongoing drive-thru innovation is one of the 13 biggest changes to hit Chick-fil-A).

It seems like every fast food or fast casual chain is begging you to download its app. Shake Shack is no different — and, sadly, its app is really abysmal. While there are some good deals to be had on the Shake Shack app (I'll give them that), let's just say the software leaves a lot to be desired.

The app is regularly buggy, making for a frustrating user experience. If you try to order delivery, it's a hot mess. Customers have complained about long delays, even if you live in close proximity to a Shake Shack, and courier fees that make your meal more expensive. Part of the beauty of Shake Shack is that it's made to order, but even a top-tier burger can't withstand a car trip across town.

Oh, and if you opt for in-store pickup? Customers claim that the food often isn't nearly as fresh as what you receive when you order at the cash register or one of the kiosks. In my experience, pick-up timing always seems to be a little bit off and just not worth it, so don't bother with the app. Carve out some time to sit in the dining room and enjoy your food at peak freshness instead. After all, you're paying a premium for that higher-quality meal.

Hot dogs are for backyard cookouts. They're for watching a baseball game and chugging a beer bat. They're meant to be cheap, delicious, and convenient to eat. And while Shake Shack started out as a hot dog cart, its hot dogs aren't the best thing on the menu. In fact, if you're ordering anything other than a plain hot dog, you'll find yourself paying over $6 for a single hot dog, and Shake Shack's dogs simply don't warrant that price tag. But if your curiosity simply cannot be quashed, consider waiting until Shake Shack runs a promotion in order to try its hot dogs.

For example, in the summer of 2025, the chain ran a two-for-$8 promotion that featured a couple of seasonal hot dogs. At $4 per hot dog, this is slightly more reasonable than the regular menu price, but let's take a moment to be honest with ourselves. The best hot dogs come off your dad's grill, for a couple of bucks from a neighborhood hot dog cart, or wrapped in foil at the baseball stadium.

In other words, you're better off spending a couple more dollars at Shake Shack and getting an insanely delicious burger or yummy chicken sandwich instead. So save your money — and maybe brush up on the strange untold history of hot dogs. You might just gain more appreciation for these tasty tubes of meat.