Police Union Blasted After Accusing Shake Shack of Adding Bleach to Shakes

NYC’s latest police controversy is centered around Shake Shack milkshakes

A controversy is brewing over some milkshakes consumed at the FiDi outpost of Shake Shack. A police labor union says three officers were hospitalized after having milkshakes at that location Monday night, which the union claims had traces of a toxic substance, most likely bleach. The NYPD, however, quickly cleared Shake Shack employees of any wrong doing, and there’s growing skepticism around the union’s allegations, with even Mayor Bill de Blasio chiming in Tuesday morning.

“These police union leaders — not all but too many — stand in the way of progress,” de Blasio said at a press conference. “[They] don’t want the truth, they just want to sow division.”

Commenters online responded to the allegations with skepticism, with some likening the event to when a police officer in Kansas falsely accused McDonald’s baristas of printing the words “fucking pig” on their cup of coffee late last year. (The officer later admitted to adding the words to the label himself.) These doubts raised by the public come amid growing calls to significantly reduce police funding in light of the ongoing protests against police violence.

The controversy erupted Monday night when the labor union New York Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association said three officers had been admitted to Bellevue Hospital after allegedly being poisoned at Shake Shack. The NYPD quickly started to investigate and reportedly rifled through trash cans in the neighborhood looking for discarded containers of bleach. No such containers were found, and the police department cleared Shake Shack shortly thereafter.

NY1 later reported that cleaning solution had ended up in the officers’ shakes as a result of Shake Shack’s machinery not being properly wiped off before use, though no other customers have reported illness at this time. The burger chain shared that it was “horrified” by the news that officers and said it worked with the NYPD as part of the investigation.

In other news

— A new drive-in movie theater has arrived on the Greenpoint waterway. Beginning at 9 p.m. nightly, Skyline Drive-in NYC will be playing a different classic film, with food trucks on-site in lieu of a concessions stand. Bicycles and foot traffic are apparently welcome, too.

— East Village Vietnamese restaurant Hanoi House has launched a weekend breakfast menu. Options include breakfast banh mi and beef, chicken, or veggie pho. The menu is available for takeout and delivery on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

— Greenpoint craft beer favorite Tørst is now available for online delivery, according to its beverage director. The Danish bar and restaurant has bottled, canned, and draft versions of its popular beer available for sale, as well as food, wine, cocktails, and one pair of chic branded beer glasses.

— French restaurant Le Song at Chelsea Market is pivoting to a French-Vietnamese menu for takeout and delivery, according to co-owner Wanisa Tondreau. New additions include a papaya salad, fried orange chicken banh mi, and a smoked duck roll.

— Chef José Andrés’ splashy Spanish food hall at Hudson Yards, Mercado Little Spain, has reopened for takeout and delivery this week. The full menu is available online, and the space is operating daily from 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.

— A former line cook at Brooklyn mainstays Hunky Dory and Tørst is now making hand-painted signs for the city’s black-owned businesses.

— Please hand him more things: