New York Post
Shake Shack customer alleges restaurant raised prices on food after selecting ‘no tip’ on a self-pay kiosk
By Ben Cost
Published Aug. 10, 2026, 9:26 a.m. ET
They thought it was a real Shake-down.
Just in case guilt tipping wasn’t already running amok. An incensed customer has accused Shake Shack of raising the prices on their order after they didn’t leave a gratuity at the self-checkout kiosk.
“My wife says that if you don’t tip at Shake Shack, they make it more expensive per item,” declared TikTok creator B.D. Powell in a video with 4.2 million views.
He decided to test this theory by ordering three classic shakes — a vanilla, cookies & cream and strawberry — at a branch at an airport in Salt Lake City.
The Post reached out to Shake Shack for comment.
They cost $5.99 each according to the order screen.
The automated check-out then took them to the tip screen, where they were offered 15%, 18%, and 20% gratuity options as well as the choice to leave “no tip.”
But when Powell selected the latter — as is common at self-service outlets — all hell broke loose.
The screen displayed the message, “Uh Oh! There has been a pricing update on one or more of your cart items. Please review these changes in your cart.”
Upon obliging, the three shakes now showed prices of $6.49 each — total price increase of $1.50.
“Everything just went up fifty cents,” lamented Powell, who warned viewers to “not go” to Shake Shack.
Viewers were appalled over this alleged dirty tactic. “How is this legal?” wondered one commenter.
“It’s already too expensive to be worth it,” lamented another. “Forcing an extra charge is a deal breaker. I will never go there.”
“Tipping culture in the US has reached an intolerable toxic limit,” said a third.
However, others claimed that the customer had failed to establish a causal link with one Redditor noting, “you didn’t show what happens to the pricing when you do leave a tip.”
Meanwhile others accused Powell of skullduggery, claiming that he’d made a normal time-based price change look like a no-tip penalty.
“Pretty sure I saw this in a different sub, and people were saying the price increased because shake shack has a late night convenience fee past a certain time, and the people videoing timed the price change to make it look like a tip issue,” theorized one viewer.
Shake Shack has since denied that they were scam-burgering patrons.
“Thank you for bringing this to our attention,” they wrote in the TikTok comments, which have since been disabled. “This is not a Shake Shack policy, and we’re currently looking into it with our licensee, HMSHost, that operates the Salt Lake City airport location and kiosk system.”
Update 08/13:
New York Post
Shake Shack responds to alleged ‘no tip’ fee slapped on customer’s bill
By Ben Cost
Published Aug. 11, 2026, 10:22 a.m. ET
They’re denying the Shake-down accusations.
Shake Shack has addressed viral allegations that it imposed a “no tip” fee at self-checkout, claiming that the apparent surcharge was actually a glitch in the system.
The controversy erupted after TikTok creator B.D. Powell claimed he was charged for not leaving a gratuity at one of the burger monger’s kiosks at the Salt Lake City airport.
In the video, which boasts over 4.2 million views, he ordered three classic shakes — a vanilla, cookies & cream and strawberry — for $5.99 each.
At the now-ubiquitous gratuity screen, he was given a choice of 15%, 18%, and 20% tip options along with the choice to leave nothing.
Upon selecting the latter, he was met with a “pricing update” disclaimer, and saw the price jump to $6.49 per shake — 50 cents more per shake.
However, reps for Shake Shack have denied any accusations of skullduggery.
“It is not Shake Shack policy, nor that of our licensees, to increase the price of menu items when no tip is added,” reps for the chain told the Post. “The pricing issue shared online occurred at an airport Shack that is owned and operated by our licensee HMSHost.”
They added that after investigating the matter, the licensee “determined it was an error within their kiosk technology,” which “has since been resolved.”
“We’ll continue working with all our licensed partners to make sure every guest is taken care of at Shake Shack,” the spokesperson added.
The explanation came after Powell warned viewers “not to go” to the chain, prompting a firestorm of backlash from customers, who deemed this a symptom of the US’ guilt-tipping culture.
“How is this legal?” wondered one commenter.
“It’s already too expensive to be worth it,” lamented another. “Forcing an extra charge is a deal breaker. I will never go there.”
“Tipping culture in the US has reached an intolerable toxic limit,” said a third.
This fast food false flag comes as customers are increasingly accusing restaurant chains of employing underhanded tactics to boost their profit margins amid inflation.
In June, a restaurant in Tampa, Florida came under fire for allegedly tacking a 3% “venue fee” onto the bill.
The appalled customer said that when she complained to employees, they claimed they were simply taking a leaf from nearby hotspots that were imposing similar charges.
No comments:
Post a Comment