Shake Shack is escalating the chicken burger wars with a not-so-subtle promotional dig at competitor Chick-fil-A.
Earlier this month, Shake Shack announced customers could receive a free Chicken Shack sandwich every Sunday in April with the purchase of a minimum $10 order at participating locations (promo code: CHICKENSUNDAY). With Chick-fil-A locations nationwide famously shut on Sundays, the choice of day to offer the complimentary chicken appears to be a deliberate nod to their competitor’s lack of sales on the Lord’s Day.
If the Sunday jab was not enough, Shake Shack’s promotion clarified the connection by highlighting the absence of antibiotics in the company’s chicken. This is notable, considering Chick-fil-A announced last month that it is amending its antibiotic policy from “No Antibiotics Ever (NAE) to No Antibiotics Important to Human Medicine (NAIHM).”
While Chick-fil-A urges everyone to “Eat Mor Chikin,” a phrase they have repeated since it first appeared on an Atlanta, Georgia, billboard nearly three decades ago, Shake Shack says to “Eat More Antibiotic-Free Chicken.”
“Here at Shake Shack, we pride ourselves on our Chicken Shack which is available 7 days a week. With crispy, white-meat chicken breast over lettuce, pickles, and buttermilk herb mayo on a toasted potato bun, this sandwich outshines its competition. And what makes our Chicken Shack even better, is that it’s made with antibiotic-free chicken, something not everyone can say these days…” reads the cheeky promotion on the fast-casual chain’s website.
Both chains have expanded in North Texas recently. Last year, Shake Shack opened its first drive-thru in the region with the opening of its 1727 N. Central Expy. location on June 28 in McKinney. Earlier this year, The Dallas Express reported on the opening of a $100 million Chick-fil-A distribution center in Hutchins, southeast of Dallas. The facility is expected to supply over 220 restaurants with goods.
Shake Shack’s stock price has surged roughly 40% year-to-date, well above the under 10% experienced by the S&P 500. Chick-fil-A remains a private, family-owned business, so it does not trade in public markets.
