A man in Utah visited a local Shake Shack and noticed something strange while checking out at a self-service kiosk. After he selected “No Tip,” the kiosk suddenly informed him that the prices of items in his cart had changed, leaving viewers questioning what caused the increase.
The sudden and unexpected price hike was shared online by B. D. Powell. He had little to no online presence before the viral clip, sharing a variety of comedy sketches on TikTok. The video attached above was his triumphant return, as it garnered 1.3 million views, 115,700 likes, and close to 6,000 comments.
While sitting down at Shake Shack, the Utah man explained that his wife claimed that prices go up when you refuse to tip at the restaurant. This would be a wild claim, of course, except that Powell made sure to test it directly at the self-service kiosk.
The man picked up three shakes total. Two of them were Classic Shakes (Strawberry and Cookies & Cream) valued at $5.99 each. The final one was a vanilla Classic Shake with added whipped cream, costing $6.48. The initial total was $18.46.
Utah Man Questions Shake Shack Price Increase After Selecting ‘No Tip’
However, when Powell clicked on Checkout, he was prompted by a screen asking if he planned on tipping. He could either choose to tip 15%, 18%, 20%, or no tip. The Utah man chose the latter, and as soon as he did, another pop-up appeared.
“Uh Oh! There has been a pricing update on one or more of your cart items. Please review these changes in your cart,” the message read.
When he returned to his cart, each milkshake was listed at 50 cents more than before, raising the total from $18.46 to $19.96.
“Just making sure everybody knows. Do not go there,” the man said.
Because the price-change message appeared immediately after Powell selected “No Tip,” he interpreted the two events as connected. However, the video does not establish why the prices changed or whether his tipping selection had anything to do with the increase.
Shake Shack Kiosk Video Leaves Viewers Suspicious
The video sparked multiple responses, mostly from viewers who saw the price hike as a major red flag. One said, “They rebranded theft as dynamic pricing.” Another one commented, “That would make me leave instantly.”
The backlash was incessant. One wrote, “This also makes it abundantly clear the tips are NOT going to the employees.” Another one added, “Don’t support Shake Shack, got it.”
The controversy also resurfaced past comments from Shake Shack founder Danny Meyer, who said during a 2023 CNBC interview that he did not believe customers should feel obligated to tip for straightforward takeout transactions.
