Food & Drink

Shake Shack seemingly shades Chick-fil-A with announcement of free chicken sandwiches on Sundays

The announcement from Shake Shack included subtle shade towards Chick-fil-A amid its change in policy regarding antibiotic-free chicken.

The corporate logo for Shake Shack is displayed on the front of their restaurant on December 30, 2023
Gary Hershorn/Getty Images

Shake Shack is aiming to fill a chicken sandwich-sized gap on Sundays.

Shake Shack announced April 4 that every Sunday in the month of April, customers can get a free Chicken Shack with a minimum $10 purchase.

Along with the statement, the fast food chain shared a photo of the Chicken Shack — a chicken sandwich with lettuce, pickles and herb mayo — along with the text, “Eat more antibiotic-free chicken.”

The message appeared to nod to Chick-fil-A and its “Eat Mor Chikin” slogan. Chick-fil-A also announced at the end of March that it is changing its policy on antibiotic-free chicken this spring from “No Antibiotics Ever (NAE) to No Antibiotics Important to Human Medicine (NAIHM).”

Shake Shack said that its Chicken Shack sandwich “outshines its competition,” before adding, “And what makes our Chicken Shack even better, is that it’s made with antibiotic-free chicken, something not everyone can say these days…”

Shake Shack's announcement also seemingly threw shade at Chick-fil-A locations being closed on Sundays.

“Here at Shake Shack, we pride ourselves on our Chicken Shack which is available 7 days a week,” the statement from Shake Shack read.

TODAY.com reached out to Chick-fil-A for comment but did not hear back at the time of publication.

Chick-fil-A drew some criticism after the fast food chain announced in a post on its website last month that in order to “maintain supply of the high-quality chicken” expected from the company, their policy on antibiotic-free chicken would be changing.

According to the restaurant's post, "no antibiotics ever" means that there were no antibiotics of any kind used in raising the animals. "No antibiotics important to human medicine" means that antibiotics used in human medicine are restricted when raising the animals, but animal antibiotics are permitted should the animal or those around it become sick.

Chick-fil-A announced Monday that it was backtracking on its “no antibiotics ever” policy due to shortages of untreated chicken.

A spokesperson for Chick-fil-A told TODAY.com, “As we looked to the future, the availability of high-quality chicken that meets our rigid standards became a concern.”

“This change enables us to not only ensure we can continue to serve high-quality chicken, but also chicken that still meets the expectations our customers count on us to deliver,” the spokesperson added.

Chick-fil-A initially announced in 2014 its pledge to serve chicken raised without antibiotics in all locations nationwide within five years, which officially took effect in 2019.

How to get a free Chicken Shack from Shake Shack

Shake Shack's Chicken Shack deal is available with any $10 minimum purchase using the promo code CHICKENSUNDAY on the four Sundays in April:

  • April 7
  • April 14
  • April 21
  • April 28

The offer is valid for orders placed at store kiosks or for pick-up or delivery through the Shake Shack app or website. The deal is limited to one free Chicken Shack sandwich per order and it cannot be combined with other offers or promotions.

This article first appeared on TODAY.com. Read more from TODAY here:

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