The Secret Shake Shack Order So Meat-Free Customers Can Enjoy A Hot Dog

While Shake Shack is known for its top-ranked burgers, the remarkably high-quality fast food chain has more options than some might expect. Beyond just burgers and shakes, the restaurant also offers hot dogs — which are split in half to create the chain's signature "Flat Top Dogs". They are similarly acclaimed by fans of the chain. However, if you're trying to stay away from eating meat, that's no reason not to try out the chain's dogs; taking one look at Shake Shack's secret menu will tell you that the Garden Dog is exactly the item you're looking for.

The Garden Dog is a menu item that actually has two forms, with one being much more likely to encounter than the other. For starters, the original rendition of the garden dog included veggie-based sausage and was available at select locations as recently as 2024. While it's unlikely you'll still find Shake Shack locations that offer this version these days, inquiring about it is always worth a shot. 

Instead, in most cases, the modern Garden Dog features all the works of a typical Shake Shack hot dog, but, instead of beef, the chain puts a pickle in the center of the bun in its place. This allows those on meat-free diets to try out the chain's high-quality hot dog ingredients like lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and the chain's toasted potato bun worry-free.

The Garden Dog is a great choice if you're looking for a vegetable-heavy take on a hot dog, but Shake Shack also delivers other options for those on meat-free diets to enjoy that are on the proper menu rather than the secret one. In fact, one of the best things about the remarkably pricy fast-food chain is the fact that it offers its signature dish, the hamburger, in vegetarian form. The Veggie Shack features a patty composed of mushrooms, sweet potatoes, and carrots alongside American cheese, crispy onions, pickles, and Shack Sauce, and is available at just about every Shake Shack location as a permanent menu item.

This updated version of the vegetarian burger differs vastly from what long-time fans of Shake Shack might've experienced just a few years ago. The Veggie Shack, which first debuted on the Shake Shack menu in 2018, originally included provolone cheese, lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles, and vegan mustard mayo to go with a patty made up of black beans, brown rice, and roasted beets. This menu item only lasted for a limited time, later returning under the same name but with different ingredients in 2023.