Shade continues to be thrown between Chick-Fil-A and Shake Shack.
Through the month of April, Shake Shack offered free sandwiches on Sundays, noting in a release they prided themselves on their “Chicken Shack which is available 7 days a week," a very-thinly-veiled reference to their competitor, which has been closed on Sundays since opening in 1946.
Now, a Chick-fil-A employee who went viral for her glowing TikTok videos about her meals at the chain has been officially employed to make content — for Shake Shack.
Since being hired by Chick-fil-A four months ago, TikTok creator Miri has posted near-daily video reviews of the employee meal she receives each day. Her TikToks, which have accumulated millions of views and thousands of followers, are often positive videos depicting her days at work, the food and more, often including the opening phrase, “It’s a great day at Chick-fil-A!”
However, Chick-fil-A corporate offices reportedly advised Miri to stop making the videos. According to her video about the topic, she was told to discontinue the videos because they "break a rule in our employee handbook.” She prefaces this fact with how appreciative she is for TikTok, her new followers and Chick-Fil-A at large.
According to the creator, the “rule was in place” prior to her making the videos and that this was not a punishment, just the company upholding a rule despite finding her content “funny and engaging.” They will also allow Miri to keep her existing content up. However, Miri clarified that while she still loves the company and still works there, Chick-fil-A is not “willing to collab at this time” on further video content — but Shake Shack is.
After several PR and HR-focused websites published commentaries about how Chick-fil-A throwing water on Miri’s videos was a potential mishap, Miri posted a TikTok showcasing the a chicken sandwich at Shake Shack and discussing their "free chicken Shack every Sunday in April" promo.One of the top comments, with 26,000 likes, says "Ooop! CFA dropped the bag and Shake Shack grabbed it. Love to see it.”
Diana Bradley at PRWeek reported the new partnership between Shake Shack and Miri came together through a "TikTok DM that led to a phone call" — and the rest is history. In recent videos, Miri is classified as a paid partner of Shake Shack and ran a promotion in which she gave out $1,000 worth of coupon codes to the restaurant.
Mike McGarry, Shake Shack’s vice president of brand marketing, told Salon Food in an emailed statement that the company is always “on the lookout for opportunities to connect with passionate food enthusiasts who share [their] commitment to quality and flavor.”
“We also love embracing cultural moments that resonate with audiences and allow us to engage in a meaningful way,” McGarry said. “When we saw Miri’s content, we knew we had to reach out. Partnering with her allows us to celebrate her love for food while also providing us an opportunity to showcase our commitment to crafting high-quality food like our Chicken Shack. At Shake Shack, we will always encourage everyone to try our menu and share their feedback."
Salon also reached out to Chick-Fil-A for comment, but did not hear back.
It remains to be seen what the next move might be for Chick-Fil-A, but clearly Shake Shack isn't slacking and immediately scooped up Miri once they saw how passionate her followers are — and just how many likes and views she brings along with her.
