Shake Shack Thayer Street - Providence

I chose to order at the kiosk, thinking it would be the easiest option, and navigating the menu was simple since I'm very familiar with it. Our order was fairly straightforward: two 50/50s, a bacon cheeseburger with only onion, another bacon cheeseburger with lettuce and tomato, a Chicken Shack with lettuce, tomato, plus added cheese and bacon, and a bacon cheese fry with an extra side of cheese. After spending $45 and waiting for about 10 minutes—during which I noticed that there were never more than six orders displayed at a time on the expo screen—I received our food. Once seated, I noticed that the dining area had no condiments other than ketchup pumps and lacked mayo and mustard. I quickly went to the counter to ask for those as well as cups for water, assuming the fountain machines had been removed during COVID. Once I returned to the table and opened our food, I found almost no ice in the 50/50s, meaning they weren't very cold. My Chicken Shack was missing cheese, and the fries didn’t come with the extra cheese I had ordered. I went back to the counter to request a slice of cheese to top my sandwich, but they informed me that they would have to remake it. I understood, but I didn't want to wait another six minutes, so I asked for the extra cheese sauce instead. Back at the table, I discovered that my fiancé's burger was missing the onion. By this point, things were getting chaotic, and he requested that I just sit and eat instead of going back up for a third time. I reluctantly let it go. I understand that mistakes happen, but as someone who put in countless hours to help launch this location, witnessing the lack of organization during our 40-minute visit was truly disheartening. Not one person working smiled, and the only employee who engaged with us did so in a monotone voice. The expo worker didn’t speak at all, and the kitchen appeared completely silent—there was no communication or urgency. No ticket times were called, and no all-day counts were made. It's clear that the level of service and food quality has declined from when I was involved. The dining room was neglected, customers were largely ignored, and the entire place felt dirty. The bathrooms had disgusting conditions, with actual messes in the sinks, and it was evident that maintenance had been neglected—like the broken lock on the door. The window overlooking Thayer Street was filthy, and dusty printers were visible from the street. There seems to be a lack of care here. I recognize that I’m being critical, particularly since I dedicated so much of my time to this location and have experience as a GM, but it honestly saddened me to see this. It felt like a waste of nearly $50 and didn’t reflect the Shake Shack that I helped open. I am glad I returned, but I left feeling disappointed by the experience. Please, find managers who genuinely care.

The atmosphere is lively: I don’t dine in often, but whenever I do, I see a mix of locals and tourists. You’ll invariably spot a group of three to five girls dressed up in formal attire, trailed by a couple of guys wearing baseball caps askew or sporting budget versions of Amiri. Maybe I'm imagining it, but it seems like this scene plays out every time I visit, which is about twice a year, while I wait for my food. My biggest complaint is the parking situation, which applies to all of Thayer Street. If you’re planning to walk around, it’s not an issue—you can park in Pawtucket and explore. However, if you’re driving, make sure to have a friend to hop out while you awkwardly double-park in a tight spot, squeezing in beside someone’s tiny Yugoslavian car. I’ll take photos next time, but they might end up reducing my star rating, ha! It’s kind of like the FedEx of fast food chains: you get your order, but you can’t help but recount its bumpy journey to you. After all, it IS SHAKE SHACK.

The restaurant wasn't busy, but we had to wait 20 minutes for our food. While the food was tasty, it wasn't served hot. It seemed like the kitchen staff was more focused on chatting than on getting the orders out.

Every single employee except for one was buried in their phones. Even at the counter where people were actively ordering food she was texting while taking their order. Also waited 20 minutes for food that should have been ready 10 minutes before I got there.

Do not eat at this Shake Shack. They are ALWAYS getting something wrong. I’ve ordered here at least 5 times, and each and every one was wrong. Forgotten drink, forgotten sauce or missing topping I paid for. But today was the final straw. I ordered a Shake Stack burger, never had it before. Got curious and wanted to try. It got to my address quicker than normal which was suspicious. And when it got here, there was no burger patty. Just shroom, lettuce, tomato, sauce and bun.Not a big deal, except, it was burnt on the outside, undercooked and doughy on the inside and not exactly what I ordered. And very, very OVERPRICED. I think it helps the store that I order delivery, because they can mess up and never hear an actual complaint. Which is sad. Shake shack could be fire, but damn this store sucks.