• by Teresa Buyikian , July 28, 2023

Fast-casual chain Shake Shack is closing out July’s “National Picnic Month” with a “Veg Out” picnic kit that promotes its newly launched plant-based menu. The curated kit is only available through this weekend.

Each “Veg Out” picnic kit, priced at $60, comes with lunch for two, featuring the chain’s new Veggie Shack burger, made from seasonal vegetables and grains, and non-dairy chocolate frozen custard, made with NotMilk, a non-daily milk substitute from NotCo. Also included are additional beverages, two orders of fries, cutlery, dishware, napkins, a frisbee, playing cards and picnic accessories including a Dock & Bay Picnic Blanket, Supergoop! Play Sunscreen, S’well Ice Cream Chiller and a Bluetooth speaker. All items are packed up in a premium picnic basket.

 Customers can reserve the picnic kit via the company’s microsite to pick up at select Shacks around at 10 U.S. cities on Saturday, July 29 or Sunday, July 30. Customers not near a participating location, they can receive a free classic Shake with any Veggie Shack purchase via the Shack App or website with code VEGGIETIME, from July 24 through July 30.

The New York-based chain launched its new plant-based menu items in May, including the “Veggie Shack” burger, a non-dairy chocolate shake and a non-dairy chocolate frozen custard.

“Our new (plant-based) menu items are performing really well,” Shake Shack Chief Executive Officer Jay Livingston told Marketing Daily. “We’re seeing a lot of buzz coming off the first few months of our nationwide launch. We tested (the) items in just a few markets - the response from guests was really positive, and solid sales were a key indicator that we should scale these items to the masses.”

“With respect to our non-dairy items, we know that often consumers fear that if something is dairy-free, it won’t taste as great,” Livingston continued. “That misconception is something we worked hard with NotCo to overcome. Most of our marketing has been centered around taste-testing, as we know that tasting is really believing.”

Since the original Shack opened in 2004 in New York's Madison Square Park, the company has expanded to over 470 locations systemwide, including over 305 locations in 32 states and the District of Columbia, as well as over 165 international locations across London, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore, Mexico City, Istanbul, Dubai, Tokyo and Seoul, among others.