Shake Shack’s use of Martin’s Rolls makes a mockery of its ESG commitments

One of Shake Shack’s most important vendors is Martin’s Famous Potato Rolls which, as we previously reported, is owned by a family that contributes heavily to extremists politicians. This political activity runs directly against Shake Shack’s public commitments to work exclusively with vendors that share its values, yet the company has said it will continue to partner with Martin’s.

2021 Stand for Something Good report (emphasis added)

In its 2021 “Stand for Something Good” report (pdf), Shake Shack says it is committed to using “carefully sourced premium ingredients from like-minded purveyors we admire and love…” The company repeats that commitment throughout the report and in numerous other public documents.

Shake Shack also produced a video that hails Martin's Potato Rolls as an "incredible company" with the "perfect DNA to be part of the Shake Shake Family." At time of video it was public record that the Martin family supported the NRA, extremist politicians and the anti-LGBTQ PAC Patriot Voices.

Public scrutiny of Martin’s intensified this year following reports of the family’s extensive donations to Doug Mastriano, the right-wing extremist candidate for governor of Pennsylvania. While Shake Shack has largely remained quiet, it did issue one unambiguous statement, saying that Martin's right-wing politics "do not express the values of Shake Shake.”

After making it clear that it believes Martin’s values fundamentally conflict with its own, the questions of whether Shake Shake would continue working with Martin’s would seem to have been clearly answered by its previous commitments to only work with purveyors who are “like-minded” and that they “admire and love.” By nearly any measure, those explicit promises do not leave room to work with a company whose leaders support right-wing extremists politicians who are anti-LGBTQ, anti-gun safety, and pro-insurrectionist.

But, in fact, Shake Shack has said it is sticking with Martin’s. And more than just sticking with them, Shake Shack is helping to promote the company - appearing on Martin’s website as a featured partner and continuing to host a video praising the company.