We tried Delta’s Shake Shack burger in the sky. Is it good?
Can a cheeseburger on a plane be as good as it is on the ground? Or would it just be “pretty good for something on a plane”?
Even as in-flight meals have largely disappeared from domestic flights, they still exist in first class (at least on longer flights). Although the menu has changed over the years, there are still some items that are constantly on hold, including one surprising item: the humble hamburger.
While you might think a burger would be soggy or gross, it actually works quite well on the plane, as long as you don’t expect it to be medium rare.
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Most preparation and cooking of in-flight meals is done on the ground, while dishes are reheated on board in specialized convection ovens before serving. It’s easy to reheat a burger in those ovens, and even if they’re cooked a little more thoroughly than what people like to leave on the ground, a well-done burger will still taste better than an overcooked steak.
That’s especially true for “smash burger”-style burgers like Shake Shack’s, in which the patty is pressed down on a very hot grill, browning the outside and keeping the inside juicy while cooking. The burgers are thinner and fully cooked.
That’s probably what Delta Air Lines was thinking about when deciding offers Shake Shake’s famous burger as an in-flight meal option. In what the airline dubbed a “one-of-a-kind” collaboration, the airline began offering Shake Shack-branded appetizers in first class this month on flights departing more than 900 miles from Boston Logan International Airport (BOS). It plans to expand partnerships with other airports throughout 2025.
A resident of TPG “heavenly beef” hit the reporter (serious – That’s my story), who happened to be based in Boston, I was assigned to the flight to see if Delta and Shake Shack were really pulling this off, or if the marketing effort was just meatless filler .
I booked a one-way ticket to Denver International Airport (DEN) via Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport (MSP), because I had to go to the United hub for another assignment. I made sure the flight was long enough to have full meal service in first class – BOS-MSP is 1,124 miles, according to Great Circle Mapper – late enough in the day that I can be sure that lunch will be served instead of breakfast.
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There’s one important detail to keep in mind if you want to get a Shake Shack burger on your next flight: It’s only available if you order it in advance. This is a detail I saw in the press release but forgot. I was checking my reservations in the Delta app when I noticed the option to order my meal and decided to do it, but I didn’t get a notification or reminder that I could do it. Maybe if I hadn’t chosen the food myself, I would have received the notification later.
So: I had a flight and I ordered a burger. Will it be worth the trip? Here’s how it happens.
Presentation and toppings of the Delta Shake Shack burger
In domestic first class, Delta offers beverage service immediately after takeoff, and flight attendants offer passengers a choice of snack baskets while the meal is heating up.
First class meals on Delta are served on trays, with all courses at the same time. The burger is served on a ceramic plate lined with branded Shake Shack paper.
You’ll find lettuce, tomatoes, onions and pickles on a smaller plate, along with a small plastic dish containing the restaurant’s signature Shack sauce. There are also ketchup and mustard packets for those who like those.
Shake Shack’s fries are famously delicious, but you won’t find them next to your burgers. Instead, the main meal is served with French fries and Caesar salad (with dressing on the side).
I actually agree with the lack of fries – burgers are one thing, but it’s hard to make French fries that are edible on a plane, let alone as good as fries. straight from the fryer at the restaurant.
You’ll also have to wait until you land to satisfy your milkshake cravings; Instead, Delta serves Shake Shack brownies for dessert.
Meanwhile, the burger is served with melted American cheese on a grilled potato bun, just like at the restaurant. When the flight attendant placed it on my tray table, it looked amazing (aside from a few stray drops of cheese), in some ways better than at the restaurant, since there, it was wrapped in foil. I never smelled it from the stove while it was heating, but that unmistakable aroma was definitely there as it emanated.
How is the Delta Shake Shack burger?
I don’t know how they did it, but somehow Delta and Shake Shack pulled it off.
The burger tasted pretty much exactly the same on the ground, as if I had been to any of the chain’s locations in cities across the country – or in airports like MSP, DEN, and International Airport John F. Kennedy (JFK) of New York.
The cake is lightly baked on the inside while still remaining warm, light and soft on the outside. The cheese melted as if it were on a hot grill (minus the little leftovers you can see in the photo) and the patty was sizzling with the exact same flavor and texture you’d find on the ground. It’s almost spooky.
Keeping the toppings on one side serves a dual purpose: It keeps them from getting soggy and allows passengers to assemble their burgers with what they want and skip what they don’t want.
I piled all the ingredients — lettuce, tomato, onion, and pickles — on my burger and used the knife from my cutlery to spread Shack Sauce inside the top bun. The vegetables were all fresh, crunchy and flavorful, and the sauce was earthy.
As for the patty, it tasted just like the Shake Shack patty. The outside is well-grilled, perfectly cooked in a smashed burger style, juicy and delicious. You really couldn’t ask for more.
Everything else was delicious, even with the sandwich as the main course. Miss Vickie’s fries were delicious and salty, and everything in the salad tasted fresh and full of flavor.
In the end, the brownie was delicious, even if it reminded me of — and made me crave — a delicious shake.
Bottom line
Somehow, Delta and Shake Shack have managed to create an in-flight burger that tastes exactly like a freshly cooked one at one of the chain’s locations on the ground. It was easily the best burger I’ve ever had on a plane.
I remember when Shake Shack first started to gain popularity in the 2000s. Even as it began expanding in and out of New York City, it was hard to get one of the burgers, due to the queues. Long lines due to a lot of hype (understandable). Even as it opens locations in Grand Central Terminal, JFK and Citi Field in New York, long waits are inevitable.
It gets even wilder now that you can have one of the famous burgers delivered right to your seat on your next flight.
Some might scoff at the idea of getting excited about a fast-casual bite in first class – what happened to the fine dining of yesteryear? – it’s worth noting that this is consistent with today’s first class. There are less opportunities to enjoy delicious meals and more opportunities to have any meal served. So it can also be an appetizer that you will enjoy. And if you’re a fan of burgers or Shake Shack, it’s safe to say you’ll love this one.
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