Stolen Ribs Nearly Spoiled Shake Shack’s Hit BBQ Sandwich (1)

Shake Shack Inc.’s latest headache is thieves who made off with a truckload of barbecue ribs.

Grappling with rising beef prices and budget-strapped diners, the chain launched a BBQ boneless rib sandwich in late April that was selling “like crazy,” Chief Executive Officer Rob Lynch said on Thursday. It provided a welcome boost after a bruising quarter — but he wasn’t counting on thieves to pounce on the meal, too.

“We thought we were going to run out of BBQ ribs, and we almost did because a truckload of them got stolen in Mexico. I mean, you can’t make ...