Episode
Shake Shack’s Digital Playbook: More Tech, Same Hospitality?
- Podcast
- Cold Call
- Published
- Jul 22, 2025
- Duration seconds
- 1738
- Processing state
not_requested
Actions
POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/cold-call-634317/episodes/shake-shack-s-digital-playbook-more-tech-same-hospitality/transcription-requests
Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/cold-call-634317/shake-shack-s-digital-playbook-more-tech-same-hospitality.md
Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.
Summary
Shake Shack began in 2001 as a single hot dog cart in New York City and grew into a global fast-casual chain known for quality ingredients and a strong hospitality ethos. In 2024, following a rapid digital transformation that introduced kiosks, mobile ordering, and app-based personalization, Chief Growth Officer Stephanie So wondered whether the model they had built was truly ready to scale—or still needed refinement. With a new CEO focused on ambitious growth, the company faced key questions about how technology might support or undermine the Shake Shack experience for both guests and employees. HBS Professor Christopher Stanton joins So and host Brian Kenny to discuss the case “Shake Shack’s Playbook for the Digital Era,” and what it takes to grow a hospitality-driven brand in an increasingly automated industry.