Shake Shack jumps into summer menu mania with new BBQ burger options starting this week

Burger chain Shake Shack announced this morning that it will release a BBQ menu just in time for the start of summer.



The menu will be available from Friday, May 24, until early September, but fans can get exclusive early access starting tomorrow via the Shake Shack app. Shack Shack’s offerings will include two BBQ burger options, the Smoky Classic BBQ Burger, and the Carolina BBQ Burger with Fried Pickles, both starting at $8.99. 



The Classic will be complete with American cheese, applewood-smoked bacon, pickles, crispy onion, and a classic smoky BBQ sauce. The Carolina Burger is constructed similarly, but with pepper jack cheese, fried pickles, and a tangy-sweet Carolina-style BBQ sauce. 



“I do not think BBQ gets enough street cred from the fine dining world,” says executive chef John Karangis. “The way they balance flavors . . . the acidity and the brightness . . . whether it is pickles on the side or something spicy or sweet . . . we were very inspired by that.”



The menu will also offer two styles of BBQ crinkle cut fries, one with cheese and one without. 



For dipping, customers get the option of either a Shack BBQ Sauce, which has been on the menu before and is a bit more traditional, or a Carolina Gold BBQ Sauce, which is a new offering.



Troubled times for some restaurant chains 



Shake Shack’s announcement comes amid a consumer slowdown at many restaurants in the fast-casual space. Red Lobster, for instance, recently filed for bankruptcy, citing poor management, rising shrimp prices, and increased competition. Tex-Mex chain Tijuana Flats also did the same , emerging recently under new ownership.  



Despite rising beef prices and inflation-weary consumers, Shake Shack has continued to outperform, with its share price up more than 35% this year. The company reported better-than-expected earnings for its fourth quarter and is expected to grow in revenue by 11% to 15% in 2024. It’s one of a number of restaurant chains that have seen their stocks rise significantly this year, along with Chipotle , Sweetgreen , and Cava .



Limited menus keep the buzz going



Shake Shack has had multiple other limited menu offerings, including a Korean-inspired menu, which featured a Korean BBQ burger, and a hot honey menu. It even offered another limited-edition BBQ menu in 2017. However, this is the first time the burger chain will be offering a menu with exclusively BBQ burgers. 



“Our founder of Shake Shack was also the founder of the original Big Apple BBQ in New York and has a love of BBQ, so he was always celebrating BBQ,” says Karangis. “It was not my original love when I got into cooking, but through the years I developed a deep appreciation for it.”