This Bougie Fast Food Chain Doesn't Use Fresh Fries — And Fans Prefer It That Way

The adage "out with the old and in with the new" led to a massive consumer revolt following a change to a beloved menu item at Shake Shack. French fries may be considered a side dish rather than a main course, but crinkle-cut potato slices are the number-one-selling menu item at the fast food chain. Somewhat of a cult classic, these nostalgia-inducing, cafeteria-style starches stood the test of time and held strong against the modern pressures to move toward a fresh, natural version of french fry. When Shake Shack altered the product's recipe from frozen Yukon Gold potatoes to hand-cut russet potatoes, customers rejected the model — and the powers that be listened. 

Although russets comprise three of the four potato varieties McDonald's uses for its fries, Shake Shack customers did not favor the flavor. "Now you are just like everyone else," Jennifer Beccia griped on the company's Facebook page (via Thrillist). CEO Randy Garutti decided to switch up the style and recipe of Shake Shack's french fry in 2013. He opted for a never-frozen, hand-sliced version of the staple. This deviation proved to be too revolutionary for regulars to stomach, and sales began to dip. It was a mere year that Garutti stood by his decision before accepting that he ought to conform to the requests of Shake Shack's guests.

Customers rejected the new fries. "We didn't fully appreciate the simple, tactile pleasure and the emotional attachment our fans have to the crispiness, the ridges, and the pure joy that these fries bring to guests of all ages," Garutti wrote in a post on Shake Shack's website (via BKMAG). "People hated them," he told Fast Company. "I think we made the best fresh-cut fry ever made. But a lot of people said, 'Hey, I love you guys, love what you're trying to do here, but I just miss the crinkle-cut.'" Logistical issues also arose around the hot new fries. Additional required training and labor on top of an unpredictable potato market further hampered the new vision. 

Shake Shack prices are high for fast food, so people expect the best when they spend their hard-earned cash. Garutti himself shied away from ordering the new side item when supplying food for his son's Little League party. In that moment, he had a change of heart. "I said to myself, 'If I'm knowing that the fries are not going to be good by the time they get there, what must other people be thinking?'" he reflected to Fast Company. Although Shake Shack's fries fall middle of the pack in our list of 25 fast food fries, ranked worst to best, die-hard consumers clearly prefer the crinkle-cut snack over the evolved version the company believed would be a home run.