Shake Shack Launches Calorie Counts

Looks like calorie counts are trending. McDonald's unveiled its calorie-ridden menu boards on Monday, but Shake Shack apparently beat fast-food giant to the punch and started listing calories Sept. 11.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Shake Shack has started putting up calorie counts at its locations throughout New York, although they were always available online. But now when you order a ShackBurger, you'll have to face the fact that one is 490 calories, while a 'Shroom burger (fried portobello and cheese) has 570 calories.

Since McDonald's' move, however, other chains like Taco Bell may be considering calorie count posting, a Taco Bell representative tells us. Larger national chains, however, may be more difficult to change as quickly as a smaller, more boutique operation like Shake Shack.

A McDonald's representative told The Daily Meal over the phone that McDonald's started displaying the calories counts because they wanted a national standard for menu labeling. "We have consistently been very vocal that we did support a national standard for menu board labeling," rather than different standards for different states, McDonald's director of media relations Danya Proud said. McDonald's in the meantime, has been labeling menus with calories in the U.K., Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.