Shake Shack Is About To Change Our Lives Forever With Mobile Ordering
Customers at Shake Shack’s Midtown East location in New York City can now order their food via the Shack App, a new iOS app designed for those who would rather skip the line.
The Shack App launched Monday, allowing customers to order fries, burgers, frozen custard, and more from the 600 Third Ave. location in Manhattan. The app lets users choose a time to pick up their order within 15-minute increments; users are notified via text message when their order is ready for pickup.
“The Shack App marks a new era for Shake Shack. In creating our first-ever app, we took great care to develop a mobile ordering platform that maintains the high quality our guests have come to know and love, but now just a tap away,” Randy Garutti, CEO of Shake Shack said in a press release. “We’re meeting people where they are and giving our guests a whole new way to experience Shake Shack. We’ve got a lot to learn, and we intend to take our time listening to our guests and tweaking the app before launching it in additional markets.”
Let's get app-y! There's a new way to Shack. Introducing the Shack App for iOS at the Midtown East Shack only: https://t.co/SCY9I5PpRB pic.twitter.com/N0bBG8oWKZ
— SHAKE SHACK (@shakeshack) October 17, 2016
According to a company press release, the Shack App includes “all of the mobile ordering essentials” allowing guests to “find Shacks via a location finder; pick from their favorite orders; keep track of food allergies; access nutritional information; see the latest events and promos; connect to all Shake Shack social media channels and share feedback.” In addition to all of that, guests will also be able to view the live Shack cam at the O.G. Shack in Madison Square Park.
An anonymous source who has already tested the app told Eater that this seems like a seamless way to order ahead at Shake Shack. “I ordered via the app and it was so easy, the food was ready on time, and it seems like this app is ready to be rolled out nationwide at any time. I had no trouble with it.”
Shake Shack will be one of many to allow customers to complete orders via a mobile device. Currently, Domino’s Pizza, Taco Bell, Starbucks, McDonald’s, and Chick-fil-A each have their own ordering apps. According to Forbes, Starbucks processes nearly 6 million mobile-order-ahead transactions per month.
The St. Louis Business Journal claims New York City is ahead of the curve with new food-ordering apps, including the MealPal (previously known as MealPass) mobile app that allows users to pay a monthly fee to order lunch on a daily basis from a range of different restaurants.
Earlier this year, Shake Shack celebrated its 100th store opening in Boston; the company has a projected 17 openings for next year.
“From our first-ever Shack in Madison Square Park 12 years ago, to so many incredible places in between, opening our 100th Shack at Boston Seaport is an epic milestone for us,” Garutti said. “We’re overwhelmed by the love and enthusiasm from our fans around the world, and this moment wouldn’t be possible without them. Here’s to bringing more Shacks to local communities around the world!”
In an interview with Eater, Garutti hinted that technology would continue to be a key player in improving the company: “…we’re constantly thinking about how to [improve] the line, the waiting, the pickup, maybe someday you want it delivered. We want to meet people where they are, and that’s how I think the future will go. But that’s going to take more human beings than we’ve ever had to make those things happen.”
Unfortunately, the Shack App – developed with mobile product agency Fuzz, guest engagement platform Paytronix, and mobile ordering platform Olo – is only available for iOS users. Shake Shack is, however, developing an Android version of the app.
[Featured Image by Scott Olson/Getty Images]
