Shake Shack
Dining · 675+ locations · NYC, DC, LA, and 32 other U.S. states, plus international markets including London, Dubai, Tokyo, Seoul, and Mexico City
Founder Danny Meyer has stepped back to board chairman, handing day-to-day control to a former Papa John's executive answering to institutional shareholders. Massachusetts found Shake Shack noncompliant with child labor law twice, and NYC workers won a $6 million settlement over scheduling law.
The Big Picture
Shake Shack is a public company: Danny Meyer's founding role is now board chairman, and an outside CEO runs it for institutional shareholders. Massachusetts cited it twice for child labor violations. New York City workers settled a scheduling-law class action for $6 million, without an admission of wrongdoing, and a city agency found it unlawfully fired a worker for using sick time. It answers to the markets, not its founder.
The Dirty Details
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Company data last updated September 2026
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