Ken M.
Yelp
I finally ate at a Shake Shack for my first time. The line to order leads to several kiosks where they prefer you to order. These are followed by a traditional register where a worker can take your order. I ordered from a kiosk. Right away, it asked for my name and phone number. I asked a person working there if I could order without entering my number, which I could and did.
When I placed my order, the only option it gave for a receipt was by email. So, I asked the worker if I could get a printed receipt instead. The worker walked over to another machine to print a receipt for me, which took not more than a minute. In that short time, the receipt screen on the kiosk timed out and provided no way for me to regain access to my order.
In addition to reducing labor expenses, it's obvious that the kiosks serve the purpose of harvesting phone numbers and email addresses of customers. I refuse to give out this personal information when dining or shopping. The reason is that the business will secretly use this for its own financial gain--through marketing, or selling it to advertisers--without compensating the customers.
Notwithstanding the underhanded corporate strongarm tactics at the point of sale, I appreciate that this place has two vegetarian options. I would eat the 'Shroom Burger if it wasn't deep fried. So, I had the Veggie Shack. To exclude dairy and eggs, I ordered it with no cheese and no Shack Sauce. Of course, there was no discount for these subtractions, but I had to pay extra to add cherry peppers and avocado.
The burger wasn't bad. The serving size wasn't generous for a $9 burger. If I was really hungry, I would either have pay to add an extra patty, or order a second burger. At that point, it may not be worth it for the price. Furthermore, the burger lacked raw veggies, but instead showcased mini onion rings, putting an exclamation mark on the total oil content--19 grams of fat without cheese and Shack Sauce, according to the nutritional info on the company's website.
I do applaud them for offering a Non-Dairy Chocolate Shake, which is very good. Next, I look forward to trying the Non-Dairy Chocolate Frozen Custard.