Fast Casual Nation

How Shake Shack is scaling hospitality through technology, AI

Hosts Paul Barron and Cherryh Cansler chat with Justin Mennen, chief information and technology officer, to talk about Project Catalyst and how Shake Shack is integrating AI.

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October 28, 2026

Fast Casual Nation goes live for the first time, recorded in front of a studio audience of restaurant operators and suppliers at the annual Fast Casual Executive Summit, Oct. 5 in Arlington, Texas. Hosts Paul Barron and Cherryh Cansler start with Brittney Wilganowski Harrison of HireMe on hiring Gen Z, flexible scheduling and why referrals still matter.

Then, they sit down with Justin Mennen, chief information and technology officer at Shake Shack, to talk aboutProject Catalyst, the company's plan to scale from roughly 400 company-owned U.S. locations to 1,500.

Mennen breaks down the four pillars of the initiative (a new POS and KDS, the brand's first loyalty program, Shack AI and a data foundation), explains why Shake Shack is keeping AI out of the drive-thru, and shares what the kiosk data is showing about check size.

The episode wraps with an audience poll on technology priorities and a lightning round on IoT, cross-department alignment and loyalty without discounting.

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