In January 2017, Shake Shack said it would source all chicken for its U.S. locations under standards aligned with Global Animal Partnership requirements by 2024, covering breeding, living conditions and slaughter. The planned standards also aimed to reduce antibiotic use and eliminate certain slaughter methods; the report described a commitment, not a completed change.
Restaurant chain Shake Shack has vowed to adhere to a set of new animal welfare promises that will make the company’s sourcing of chickens more humane, becoming the latest company in the industry to make this pivot.
In an April 2021 report, Shake Shack said people of color made up more than 75% of its workforce and 76% of non-White employees were promoted. CNN also noted that people of color held 34.7% of restaurant leadership roles and nearly 20% of home-office leadership posts, while none served in executive leadership. The company said it aimed to improve representation.
Shake Shack has emerged as one of the most diverse employers in America after hiring more than 1,000 people in 2020. But the premium burger chain’s executive management team is also one of the least diverse in the fast food industry, which for years has been criticized for pervasive racial disparities between its disproportionately Black and Latino frontline workforce and its overwhelmingly White C-suite leadership.
In April 2020, Shake Shack said it would return its $10 million Paycheck Protection Program loan after securing other funding, saying aid should go to restaurants that had not had the same opportunity. The company had laid off or furloughed more than 1,000 employees; it also said it covered furloughed managers’ and corporate employees’ medical benefits through July 1.
Shake Shack is returning all of the $10 million it received from its Paycheck Protection Program loan after landing outside funding on Friday, according to a letter founder Danny Meyer and CEO Randy Garutti posted on LinkedIn Sunday night. “Our people would benefit from a $10 million [Paycheck Protection Program] loan but we’re fortunate to now have access to capital that others do not,” the letter states. “Until every restaurant that needs it has had the same opportunity to receive assistance, we’re returning ours.”
Shake Shack did not share what it would use its Friday funding for, though the bulk is likely to funnel toward payroll as the loan would have. Last week, the company announced that it had laid off our furloughed more than 1,000 employees due to the impact of the novel coronavirus crisis, and preliminary results for Q1 show that same-store sales in Q1 decreased by 12.8%, including a decrease of 28.5% in March. Corporate employees and executive teams have taken a reduced pay for an indefinite amount of time. Shake Shack has, however, committed to providing full pay for general managers regardless of whether their restaurant remains open. Shake Shack is also paying out PTO and covering 100% of medical benefits through July 1 for all furloughed managers and corporate employees, according to a company press release.
The Lever reported in October 2025 that Shake Shack had added a binding arbitration clause and class-action waiver to its terms of use, which it said customers encounter through digital ordering. The outlet said customers declining the terms would lose access to online, app and kiosk ordering, leaving over-the-counter service. These are the article’s claims; the supplied evidence includes no company response.
Fast food chain Shake Shack recently updated its terms of use agreement to include a binding arbitration agreement and class-action waiver denying customers their legal right to take companies to court. These provisions are showing up across the fast food industry, extending restrictive contracts to consumers through the rapid expansion of online services such as websites, mobile apps, and automated self-service kiosks.
Reuters reported in April 2021 that Shake Shack received a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index and had been named a best place to work for LGBTQ employees for years. President and CFO Tara Comonte described the company’s people-first approach and commitment to diversity, inclusion and equality. HRC records also show 50/50 inclusive-benefits points and 25/25 total points.
The New York City-founded staple recently received a perfect score from the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index for its LGBTQ-friendly workplace. Advocacy even finds its way onto the menu, with items like the “Pride Shake.”
In October 2024, Shake Shack Enterprises LLC agreed to pay $244,500 to resolve Massachusetts allegations that it employed minors without valid permits and scheduled them during prohibited hours or beyond legal weekly limits. The state said violations affected more than 200 employees at 12 locations in 2022. The company cooperated and took steps toward compliance.
By Julie Manganis ( October 22, 2024, 1:49 PM EDT) -- Shake Shack has agreed to pay $244,500 to settle allegations that it violated Massachusetts child labor laws, including failing to obtain work permits and allowing minors to work more than 48 hours in a week, the state attorney general announced Tuesday. . . .
BOSTON — Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell today announced that her office has reached a settlement with national restaurant chain Shake Shack Enterprises LLC (Shake Shack) in which they will agree to pay penalties for violating various state child labor laws. As a result of the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) investigation, Shake Shack will pay a total of $244,500, including $122,250 in penalties and a $122,250 payment to a state fund used for enforcement and education of state employment laws, including training and development to improve youth employment opportunities.
The hamburger chain scheduled minors to work more hours than legally allowed, AG Campbell said in a statement.
In a 2023 pre-litigation settlement reached through voluntary mediation, Shake Shack agreed to pay $20,000 to a former Oakland employee who alleged coworkers repeatedly misgendered him and management failed to address his complaints. The company agreed to update policies, train staff and report Bay Area gender-identity discrimination or harassment complaints to California’s Civil Rights Department for one year.
The complainant, who was trained in San Francisco and assigned to work in an Oakland Shake Shack restaurant, alleged that he was repeatedly misgendered by co-workers and that when he complained, management failed to take reasonable steps to correct the behavior. According to the complaint, management told him repeatedly that he would have to explain his gender to co-workers rather than rely on management to correct discriminatory behavior. Frustrated by management’s failure to address his concerns, after only a month the complainant left the company.
In June 2022, after Martin’s executive chairman Jim Martin’s political donations prompted boycott calls, Shake Shack said it did not make or endorse private political donations and was in active conversations with its potato-roll supplier to express concern. The company did not say it would join the boycott or change suppliers.
Shake Shack said its Shift Up program, created with Food Education Fund, develops entry-level managers’ leadership skills; women and people of color made up 75% of the inaugural 2020 class. The company set a goal for people of color to hold 50% of restaurant leadership and 30% of corporate leadership roles nationwide by 2025.
Last year, Shake Shack partnered with Food Education Fund, a culinary arts nonprofit, to create the company’s new “Shift Up” development program for entry-level managers. The company says the program provides its shift managers with “classroom-based instruction, experiential learning and peer-to-peer networking” training to develop the business communications, tech literacy and leadership skills needed to one day become senior leaders at the company’s restaurants.
In May 2026, CITO Justin Mennen said Shake Shack was pursuing customer-facing and internal AI as part of a technology overhaul. He described using enterprise products for scale and reliability while building custom tools when needed, with priorities including productivity, analytics and restaurant operations. The account presents plans and priorities, not measured results.
Shake Shack is focused on a tech overhaul that brings AI to the forefront of the customer experience and an internal strategy that scales the company’s digital, data and operational capabilities, according to Justin Mennen, the company’s chief information and technology officer.
On November 4, 2026, Shake Shack asked a New York federal judge to send former employee Fofana’s proposed wage class and collective action to arbitration, arguing she had electronically signed a binding agreement. The case was filed August 14, 2026, in the Southern District of New York; the supplied report does not state the court’s decision.
Shake Shack urged a New York federal judge to send a former employee's proposed wage class and collective action to arbitration, arguing that she electronically signed a binding agreement requiring her...
In August 2026, a viral video showed three shakes at a Salt Lake City airport Shake Shack rising by 50 cents each after the customer selected “no tip.” Shake Shack denied that its policy or licensees raise prices for declining tips. Licensee HMSHost said a kiosk technology error unrelated to tipping caused the issue and had been resolved; some viewers questioned whether the video established a link.
Opting for the “no tip” button might not be saving you money, at least at one particular restaurant. Users on social media are circulating theories claiming that fast-food chain Shake Shack raises prices on individual items when customers choose not to leave a tip on an order, all thanks to a viral TikTok. “My wife says that if you don’t tip at Shake Shack, they make it more expensive per item, so we are about to find out,” B.D. Powell said in the video, which has garnered over 4.3 million views. The couple then proceeded to use the self-pay kiosks at the Salt Lake City International Airport Shake Shack location, ordering three milkshakes: strawberry, cookies and cream, and vanilla with whipped cream. Each drink was priced at $5.99, with an extra charge for the shake with whipped cream. As the couple prepared to pay, they clicked the “no tip” option at checkout, which led to a message popping up on-screen. “Uh Oh! There's been a pricing update on one or more of your cart items. Please review these changes in your cart,” the message read. The order review then proceeded to show all items with a 50-cent increase, allegedly proving the theory. The comments section for the original video has been turned off, but it has been clipped and circulated across other platforms, leading users on social media to share their disapproval. “If the 'tip' is being forced on customers, then that is not a tip anymore and just a charge,” one user said on X about the video. Another added: “Well, never going THERE again! That's extortion!” The restaurant chain has since denied the practice, telling Fast Company that “it is not Shake Shack policy, nor that of our licensees, to increase the price of menu items when no tip is added.” The Shake Shack spokesperson, who provided comment via an emailed statement, explained that the pricing issues from the video occurred at a location operated by a licensee named HMSHost. The statement added: “HMSHost investigated the matter and determined it was an error within their kiosk technology unrelated to tipping. They have informed us that the issue has been resolved. We’ll continue working with all our licensed partners to make sure every guest is taken care of at Shake Shack.” Still, the situation has reignited a broader conversation about tipping culture in the US. “We need to all collectively agree to not tip unless an actual server is involved. Enough of this BS,” a user said on X. Another added: “I have no problem with tipping, but the idea of tipping is odd. Tipping is supposed to be for excellent service, so why would I tip BEFORE I get my food or before I receive my service?”
“Thank you for bringing this to our attention,” they wrote in the TikTok comments, which have since been disabled. “This is not a Shake Shack policy, and we’re currently looking into it with our licensee, HMSHost, that operates the Salt Lake City airport location and kiosk system.”
In March 2024, social media users called for a boycott after Shake Shack’s first Israeli restaurant opened in Tel Aviv on February 7. The company said it had announced the location in April 2023 as part of global expansion and did not support parties to the conflict. Newsweek also reported supportive and critical reactions to the boycott calls.
Shake Shack knowingly or negligently decided to open a restaurant in Israel amid ongoing attracks in Gaza, which led to boycott calls from civil society.
Burger chain Shake Shack is facing boycott calls over its decision to open a restaurant in Tel Aviv, Israel, amid the country's conflict with Hamas.
A proposed class action removed to California federal court alleges that Shake Shack Inc. charged customers deceptive fees for delivery orders placed through its website and app. Law360 reported the suit on February 28, 2025. The supplied evidence does not describe the company’s response or any outcome.
By Isaac Monterose ( February 28, 2025, 6:04 PM EST) -- Shake Shack Inc. charges its customers "deceptive fees" when they use the fast casual chain's website and app to order food delivery, according to a proposed class action removed to California federal court....
On November 6, 2018, Shake Shack offered customers free fries if they showed an “I voted” sticker, according to the report. The promotion was tied to Election Day; the account does not provide further terms or report how many customers participated.