Does Shake Shack Offer Gluten-Free Buns?

Although the main draw of Shake Shack might be their burgers, the chain is growing their menu. Recently, they announced the new Southern Smoke Chicken Sandwich, and Shake Shack also brings out limited-time items, like milkshakes in collaboration with Milk Bar. While one draw of a fast food place can be new and unique items, another important aspect for plenty of people is how fast food chains handle allergens.

For anyone who can't have gluten, fries usually seem like a safe bet, but at Shake Shack, fries can be cross-contaminated. So what other options are there? Does Shake Shack have gluten-free buns for their burgers?

Shake Shack has a PDF with all of their products and what allergens they contain, and based on the information provided by the company, the burger chain does offer a gluten-free bun option, which also should be available at all of their locations. Aside from gluten, this particular bun is also made without milk, eggs, peanuts, soy, and sesame, which are other more common allergies. So if you do avoid gluten, you'll still have the option to eat at Shake Shack and enjoy a burger.

On the website Find Me Gluten Free, Shake Shack has an overall rating of four stars, and customers generally seem to have positive experiences. One person wrote, "Have eaten here twice with no reaction. Great burgers and shakes. Fries are not safe due to shared filtration system. They can print out a receipt that has all gluten components for you."

Although Shake Shack supposedly has gluten-free buns at all their stores, another person wrote that this option wasn't available for them and has to opt for the lettuce wrap instead. Several people said that they had been diagnosed with celiac disease but had no issues after eating at Shake Shack.

Despite the positive reviews on one website, Spoon University has an article where one writer ordered the gluten-free bun at Shake Shack and does not recommend it for anyone who has celiac disease. The writer does not have celiac disease but explains that there wasn't an option for the gluten-free bun on the Shake Shack app, and everything was served in the same bag, so the gluten-free bun was touching another burger and fries. According to Spoon University's article, a Shake Shack employee said cross-contamination was "inevitable."

Ultimately, it's up to you whether you decide to try Shake Shack's gluten-free bun, and you can also try other gluten-free menu items from fast food restaurants.