Shake Shack Goes Mobile

With all the cool kids embracing mobile, it comes as no surprise that the burger businesses’ coolest kid — the Shake Shack — is jumping onto the bandwagon.

Shake Shack has officially introduced a mobile app that includes an ordering platform.

Designed on iOS, the Shack App allows guests to order via smartphone — and pick up their meals in Midtown (at the Midtown East Shack in New York City). And only in Midtown, as that is the only location that the Shack App’s order-ahead capability is getting a test drive — those in need of a shake or burger in another location will have to queue up the old-fashioned way.

But for those in Midtown — or on their way — the option will exist to place an order and chose a pick-up time. The meal is then prepped to coincide with the customer’s arrival. Pick-up times are in 15-minute windows — an effort by the chain to drive shorter pick-up times.

“We’re meeting people where they are and giving our guests a whole new way to experience Shake Shack,” said Randy Garutti, Shake Shack’s CEO. “We’ve got a lot to learn. We intend to take our time listening to our guests and tweaking the app before launching it in additional markets.”

Apart from order ahead, the Shack app also features the signature menu favorites, a location finder, a database of all past orders and the nutritional information from the menu. It also has the sort of digital public messaging board aspect that is becoming increasingly popular on retail apps — users also get a chance to see events, promotions, and even data about when traffic spikes are common. It also, of course, wires guests directly to social media to share feedback.

The test is live and in the wild now — but there is, as of yet, no information on when or if Shake Shack plans to expand the mobile order-ahead test.