Shake Shack Follows McDonald's and Burger King But In a New Way

Shake Shack  (SHAK) - Get Free Report is taking an idea from the fast-food leader McDonald’s  (MCD) - Get Free Report. When all things considered copying the leader isn’t a bad idea, but what if the leader didn’t exactly hit it out of the park? 

Shake Shack only just entered the fast-food market in 2004, but already serves roughly 80 different countries with over 360 locations and had $900 million in revenue in 2022. Shake Shack growth is undeniable, and it rivals McDonald’s in its revenue per restaurant with $4 million per store. The company plans to open up to 70 new locations in 2023, according to Eat This, Not That!. 

One thing is for sure, Shake Shack should not look at McDonald’s for its operations on ice cream, as the giant chain's McFlurry machines are almost always out of order. Any restaurant that says ‘shake’ in its name should most definitely have working shake and ice cream machines. Shake Shack's frozen treats are probably some of the best out there. McDonald’s does test out different marketing campaigns and also new and different products but keeps its core menu in place for customers. One of McDonald's latest test products proves that it can both fail and succeed at the same time at something.

Shake Shack Debuts Meatless Burger

McDonald’s tried its hands at competing against Burger King's  (QSR) - Get Free Report Impossible Whopper, with the McPlant sandwich. The McPlant was tried and tested, and it wasn’t widely accepted in US markets. However, it did make it to the permanent menu in some places outside of the US, like the UK.

Burger King's Impossible Whopper is made up with a vegetarian burger from Impossible Foods, and the McPlants’ patty was made with Beyond Meat  (BYND) - Get Free Report. Shake Shack is going after the customers who may have tried the McPlant or the Impossible Whopper and were underwhelmed or looking for something new.

Shake Shack debuted its Veggie Shack after years of testing, and it may have finally found its match. The veggie burger is made with mushrooms, sweet potatoes, carrots, farro and quinoa. The new Veggie Shack is topped with American cheese, crispy-fried onions, pickles and ShakeSauce all on a toasted potato bun. The burger will sell for $8.29, but prices may vary by location.

Shake Shack already had another vegetarian friendly burger, the Shroom Burger, which has crispy-fried portobello mushrooms filled with melted cheddar and muenster cheeses. The Shake Shack fans are already asking for the burger to be served with vegan cheeses, one can only hope that all dietary restrictions medical and choice can be accommodated one day, but getting good vegetarian options is definitely a great start. 

Follow Where Others Have Failed

Shake Shack took the opportunity after the failed McPlant as it had been working for several years on getting the right recipe for the Veggie Stack. While the Veggie Shack is in the news, something that is just as exciting, maybe even a little more exciting, is also made its debut of non-dairy shake and custard. 

Anyone with dairy issues, that has been craving a milkshake is bound to be ecstatic over the new menu addition. The non-dairy chocolate shakes and frozen custard are made with NotMilk. NotMilk is a plant-based milk made from pineapple juice, pea protein, chicory, root fiber, coconut oil, cabbage juice and is 100 percent lactose free.

Shake Shack says that NotMilk tastes, cooks and blends just like real milk. The non-dairy chocolate milkshakes are hand spun, have 850 calories and will sell for $6.29, while the non-dairy chocolate custard will sell for $4.29 and only has 400 calories for single scoop. Prices may vary by location. While the shakes are non-dairy, the ingredients still contain tree nuts, so anyone with a nut allergy won't be trying the Shake Shack creamy custard or shake.