Career and HR content creator Ron (@worksavvy) says his order of Shake Shack’s new onion rings came out to about a dollar per ring—which he said “isn’t worth it.”
Shake Shack: Uh, Why Did I Get Literally 4 Onion Rings?
Panning across a paper carton holding four beer-battered rings, a side of crinkle-cut fries, and a dipping sauce, Ron opens with the ask: “You guys look at this. We’re at Shake Shack.”
“It’s a new Shake Shack in our neighborhood, and we ate one, but we got four onion rings in the order,” he says. He estimates the side ran him “almost, like, four dollars … almost five or something,” working out to roughly a dollar per ring by his count.
The math tracks. The chain added beer-battered onion rings to menus nationwide on September 12, 2025. They arrived as part of a French onion soup-inspired menu, priced at $5.49 per side and made with sweet Spanish onions, per the company’s launch materials. Now, interestingly, the press announcement does not specify the count per order.
Ron does not accuse the location of shorting him, but he questions whether the pricing matches what customers actually get.
“This isn’t worth it, y’all,” he says. “What do you think?”
Let’s see what the people had to say.
‘Looks Like We Missed the Mark’
“Private equity ruins everything,” claimed one person, except that Shake Shack is a publicly traded company.
Another person had a similar experience that turned them off permanently, writing, “Yep. I got 6 onion rings at varying sizes for 5.99 there the last time I went. Never again.”
Another person wrote, “U better than me i would’ve asked for a refund expeditiously.”
To be fair, Shake Shake did comment on the video: “Looks like we missed the mark here! Sending you a DM now to make this right.”
A Familiar Complaint
Ron’s clip lands as part of an ongoing consumer conversation about portions at fast-casual chains. In 2024, Chipotle faced viral TikTok backlash over increasingly “skimpy” bowls, with then-CEO Brian Niccol telling shareholders the company remained committed to “generous portions.” Shareholders later sued, alleging the company had downplayed the outrage.
Food editor Taryn Pire, reviewing Shake Shack’s new side for PureWow, priced her order at $5 and called the coating “thick, sturdy, golden-brown.” However, she noted her rings did not come with the promised dipping sauce.
Why Shake Shack Doesn’t Price Like McDonald’s
CEO Rob Lynch, the ex-Papa John’s chief installed in 2024, has publicly bet the brand on holding premium pricing rather than chasing $5-value-meal peers. On his first Wall Street earnings call, per Restaurant Business, Lynch told analysts that Shake Shack’s premium position, viewed by some as a liability, “is truly one of our strengths.”
Subplot News reached out to Ron via TikTok comment and direct message and to Shake Shack via email for more information. We will update this story if they respond.
@worksavvy I ordered onion rings at Shake Shack for $4… They handed me FOUR onion rings. 😭 That’s basically $1 PER RING. Is this normal?! 😂 Did I get shorted, or is this really the portion now? Tell me how many onion rings YOU got 👇 because I need answers. #ShakeShack #OnionRings #FoodTok #FastFood #Shrinkflation ♬ original sound – Ron | Career Strategy | Author
