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Food & Drink / Fast Food

Shack Hacks: 7 Items From the Shake Shack Secret Menu We Can’t Stop Thinking About

Published June 22, 2023•Updated November 7, 2025

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A cheeseburger with two beef patties, melted cheese, bacon, and diced red peppers sits on a tray next to a clear cup filled with a light amber drink.
Mike S. / Yelp

Shake Shack will always be one of those restaurants that rides the line between fast food and fast-casual. The New York-born burger chain has spread across the nation like crazy, and its fans have followed. 

While the regular menu at Shake Shack is already quite full of options, it’s always nice to be able to further experiment with some secret menu items. Want to switch it up next time? Here are seven items to try from the Shake Shack secret menu.

Protein Style Burger

A cheeseburger wrapped in large green lettuce leaves instead of a bun, with melted cheddar cheese, bacon, and sauce visible on a paper-lined tray.
agentaurange/Reddit.com

You’ve seen this at just about every burger chain. Ask for your burger “protein style,” and they’ll ditch the potato buns and wrap the whole thing in lettuce.

Cheese Dog

A hot dog topped with melted cheese sits in a cardboard holder next to a small plastic cup of cheese sauce, all placed on a tray with patterned paper featuring food and drink icons.
Shumrith V. / Yelp

Though it’s not officially listed on the menu, you can get a hot dog covered in melted American and cheddar cheese. Ask nicely. Tip well.

Smoke Shack Quad Burger

A close-up of a cheeseburger with two beef patties, melted cheese, crispy fried onions, lettuce, tomato, chopped red peppers, and a soft bun, served on a metal tray with a cup of water in the background.
Future_Constant1134/Reddit.com

This is less of a “secret” and more of a “bad call.” If you’re a person who likes to eat four patties at once, consider the Quad Burger, which is just a Smoke Shack topped with three extra patties and three extra slices of cheese.

Shandy

A plastic pitcher labeled "Shack Meister Ale" filled with beer sits on a table between two clear plastic cups of beer. A black wallet and chairs are visible in the background.
Rachel M. / Yelp

Mix lemonade or Sprite with a beer — which Shake Shack serves — and you’ve got yourself a refreshing summer cocktail.

Root Beer Float

A hand holding a Shake Shack milkshake with whipped cream and a dome lid; the iconic green burger logo is visible on the cup, and the background is outdoors with a stone surface.
©Tripadvisor

Much like a college dining hall, you’ve got a soda machine and ice cream (well, frozen custard in this case) at the ready. This can easily become a beer float too, if that’s your thing.

Garden Dog

A close-up of a hot dog in a bun topped with chopped onions, two pickle slices, tomato slices, and a sprinkle of black pepper, inside a white cardboard container.
nocturnalsleepaholic/Reddit.com

How do you make a veggie hot dog at Shake Shack? Easy. As long as you like pickles.

  • Order a pickle spear as the centerpiece of your dog. 
  • Load it up with all the veggies you desire.

‘Chili’ Pepper Cheese Fries

Crinkle-cut French fries in a paper tray, topped with melted cheese sauce and sprinkled with red seasoning, with a wooden fork on the side.
Swaraj K. / Yelp

This Shake Shack secret menu dish sounds so good. Ask for cheese fries with a side of shack sauce and chopped chili peppers.

More secret menu hacks:

Red Lobster cheddar bay biscuits
Amanda R./Yelp

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Wilder Shaw

Wilder Shaw is a staff writer at Cheapism who has written for publications like The Washington Post, Thrillist, Time Out, and more, but you most likely recognize him as Trick-or-Treater No. 2 from a 1996 episode of “The Nanny”. Give him a shout on Bluesky and Instagram.