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THEY'LL BE BACK. Shake Shack announced today the return of its beloved crinkle cut fries which were kicked to the curb last year (and at its D.C. Shacks this year). Due to customer demand, the crinkles will return this November. From Shake Shack CEO Randy Garutti: "HEARD Over the past 10 years, we’ve always listened to our guests, and from time to time, certain passionate fans would challenge us to offer an even better fry to complement the ShackBurger. About a year ago, we decided to convert our classic crinkle cut fry to a fresh, hand-cut, russet potato. The motivation was simple: whenever we believe we can improve something at Shake Shack, we take the task seriously even if it’s a big challenge. Our commitment to freshness, all-natural ingredients and straight-up yumminess drove our passion to change our fries. LEARNING Through the extraordinary and earnest efforts of our team, we set out to do what we thought was best and what we believed our guests wanted. We learned quickly that sourcing the best potatoes, cutting thousands of them by hand, soaking and double frying wasn’t easy. But that didn’t stop us. We converted kitchens, added and retrained team members, and successfully launched our hand-cut fries. Still, we weren’t satisfied and neither were the overwhelming majority of our fans. No matter how hard we tried, inconsistency remained and we found ourselves unable, 100% of the time, to deliver what our guests loved most about our crinkle cuts. We converted about half of our Shacks this year and it has given us enough time to really listen and gauge our fans’ reaction. Now with the benefit of hindsight, it’s clear that we underestimated the love for our classic crinkle cut fry. We reacted to what we thought we heard. But in fact, while listening to a few outspoken critics, we never fully heard the legions of fans that loved our classic crinkle. NO REGRETS We didn’t fully appreciate the simple, tactile pleasure and the emotional attachment our fans have to the crispiness, the ridges and pure joy that these fries bring to guests of all ages. Even fans that genuinely appreciated what we were trying to do continued to remind us that they just wanted the crinkle cuts back. It’s humbling to know that so many people care so deeply about our menu. As hard as this adventure has been, we’re glad we went through it and we don’t regret the work and the ultimate outcome. Decisions made for the right reasons will always drive our future. CRINKLE CUTS RETURN: BETTER THAN EVER With that, we’re thrilled to announce that in November, CRINKLES WILL BE BACK!!! And better yet, we’re keeping our promise to Stand For Something Good – your favorite fry will be just as you left it, but will now be free from the artificial ingredients that so many frozen fries include; ingredients we know we can live without. Our team is working with farmers over the next few months to source the best spuds in the upcoming harvest. Thanks to all of you who stuck with us during this change. We know that a lot of our guests came to love the hand-cuts over time and some of you may be disappointed in the switch back. But the vote is in. Welcome back crinkles!"   (Photo: Burger Days)