Shake Shack is celebrating National Hot Dog Day early with its first-ever Dog Days hot dog menu. The restaurant chain's lineup of limited-time $4.99 to $7.99 Flat Top Dogs has left fans and experts impressed. Described as this year's 'best fast food,' Shake Shack's latest offerings are the Angus Beef Chili, Angus Beef Chili Cheese, Classic, Crispy Onion Cheese, Fried Pickle, and High Heat dogs.
The menu also comes with another limited-time special, two classic or limited-time hot dogs for $8 now through August 11. Shake Shack has been coming for fast food empires all year since announcing its plans to open at least 1,500 new restaurants.
Despite being dubbed the nation's most expensive fast-food chain, prices aren't stopping social media users from planning to try every hot dog on the menu. 'Oh man I am a sucker for some great hotdogs!,' food blogger Snackbetch wrote on Instagram.
'Only makes sense since shake shack started as a hot dog business,' another person responded. The Fried Pickle hot dog is a popular must-have offering social media users have been excited to try.
Topped with fried pickles, bacon and cheese, food critic Bailey Fink of Allrecipes insisted the pickles are what took the offering 'up another notch.' She also enjoyed the High Heat Dog, which features cheddar and American cheese with a blend of cayenne, garlic and paprika topped with peppers.
'It's the perfect balance of heat with a good amount of cheese to cool things off -- and it has a nice crunch from the actual peppers themselves,' she wrote.
Instagrammers were also 'highly intrigued' with the Angus dogs, mainly because of the chili.
Fink admitted the Angus Beef Chili Cheese Dog ended up being her favorite, calling the chili 'absolutely incredible.'
'The flavor is delicious and I love it with the cheese,' the expert revealed.
The only thing Fink would change about the Angus dog is removing onions and replacing them with the same peppers featured in the High Heat.
Shake Shack is on the small side compared to its competitors with over 500 locations worldwide. It's on track to open 80 to 85 units in the US this year, and its first loyalty program got off the ground in May. When its burgers aren't in restaurants, they can be found on plates served to first-class Delta fliers.
After debuting on flights departing from Boston, the burgers have made their way to other planes flying out of Atlanta, Los Angeles, New York-LaGuardia, and Seattle's airports. Unlike its major competitors, Shake Shack's first quarter revenue this year grew by 10.5 percent to $320.9 million. The chain's results came around the same time McDonald's suffered a 3.6 percent sales drop , and Burger King's North American sales dipped 1.3 percent .