The Drive-Thru Trick Shake Shack Uses So Your Food Tastes Extra Fresh - Tasting Table

"Employees start making your food as soon as you order it, as opposed to dine-in, where they start after you pay. These extra few minutes allow the burger favorite to continue its practice of using fresh ingredients while offering the drive-thru convenience to customers."

"Many fast food chains use heat lamps and other warming methods to precook food in batches, improving a drive-thru's efficiency - unless you have a large or complex order, in which case, employees will ask you to pull forward while they prepare it. According to an interview with The Wall Street Journal (via YouTube), Shake Shack had to figure out a way to still serve fresh, made-to-order meals in a drive-thru setting without overly long wait times."

""We do things a little differently in our drive-thrus than we do in our restaurants," says Katie Fogerty, CFO at Shake Shack. "It's not compromising the cook fresh." In addition to getting a head start on preparing an order, the chain also implemented a special kitchen design to help it meet efficiency goals."

"Part of the innovative drive-thru design for Shake Shack includes a split-kitchen setup where one is completely dedicated to drive-thru business. Since cooking fresh is something Shake Shack absolutely will not compromise on - which is part of why its prices are high for fast food - improving drive-thru speed has been a major priority over the last few years."

Shake Shack is a fast casual burger chain known for fresh, made-to-order preparation and premium ingredients. To remain competitive after the pandemic, it launched its own drive-thru system in December 2021. In drive-thru service, employees start making food as soon as the order is placed, rather than waiting until after payment as in dine-in. This timing helps maintain freshness while still providing drive-thru convenience. Many fast food chains use precooked batches and warming methods, but Shake Shack avoids compromising cook-fresh quality. It also uses a split-kitchen design with a kitchen dedicated to drive-thru operations to improve efficiency and reduce wait times.

Read at Tasting Table