Curious to learn how Shake Shack leveraged data and guest feedback to guide packaging decisions, avoid costly missteps, and support their aggressive growth plans?
Dive into the full story by watching the video below, or keep reading to discover more insights.
About Shake Shack
Shake Shack, a fast-casual brand known for modern takes on classic American fare, has grown from a single hot dog cart in 2004 to over 300 locations, with plans to reach 1,500. Despite its rapid expansion, the company maintains a startup mindset, relying on agile teams and data-driven decision making to scale smartly. As Arya Guinney, Senior Consumer Insights Analyst, shared:
“We want to include data as much as possible in our business decision capabilities... to make sure that we’re doing the right things for our guests and for our brand.”
The Problem: Packaging Uncertainty with High Stakes
Shake Shack needed to make a crucial decision: is investing in new packaging the best decision to take? Packaging impacts not only the guest experience but also operations, supply chain, and ultimately, cost.
“Making changes is not as simple as adding an extra bag or removing forks... it has really large financial implications,” said Guinney. “We wanted to understand from beginning to end, from drive-thru to in Shack—are we meeting guest needs? And if not, where are the pain points?”
With limited insights into how both current and prospective guests perceived their packaging, the team needed external expertise to validate their decisions, and avoid making changes that could backfire.
The Solution: Real Guest Feedback, Nationwide Reach
Shake Shack partnered with Intouch Insight to run a customized Mystery Shopping program focused on packaging. This initiative captured both qualitative and quantitative data from consumers across the country, including those unfamiliar with the brand.
“The mystery shoppers helped us get actionable insights from not only guests who are familiar with Shake Shack, but also those who have not visited us before.”
A key differentiator? Mystery shoppers provided photos of how their meals arrived, giving the team an immediate and direct understanding of the guest experience.
“Sometimes a picture says a thousand words... It really blew the team’s mind and helped them conceptualize what pain points and strengths we have in our packaging process.”
The insights went far beyond anecdotal feedback. The data gave Shake Shack a clear benchmark, something they could use to measure future improvements as changes rolled out.
The Result: Confidence, Cost Savings & a Clear Direction
With support from Intouch Insight, Shake Shack was able to confidently move forward with packaging changes that reflect real guest preferences, and avoid investments that wouldn’t have delivered value.
The impact didn’t stop with the project itself. Shake Shack found the partnership highly collaborative and flexible, with Intouch offering additional support, including a separate pulse study, when new questions emerged.
“Our experience working with the team at Intouch Insight has been great. They’ve been incredibly supportive, collaborative, responsive... truly a partnership,” said Guinney. “They helped us get down to the key strategic questions and feel good presenting our findings to the executive team.”
As Shake Shack sets its sights on reaching 1,500 locations, ensuring consistency across operations is more important than ever. Packaging plays a critical role in that effort, affecting everything from speed of service to guest satisfaction and operational efficiency.
By validating their packaging decisions through real guest feedback, Shake Shack avoided costly changes that didn’t align with customer needs. Instead, they moved forward with a clear direction rooted in data, giving their operations and supply chain teams confidence at scale.
Looking ahead, the team plans to continue measuring progress through future initiatives, establishing benchmarks, and tracking improvement as new changes roll out. With long supply chain lead times and high-impact operational decisions, having the right insights upfront is key.
Shake Shack’s experience shows how bringing guest data into the decision-making process doesn’t just elevate the customer experience—it enables smarter, faster, and more scalable growth.
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