Utah Man Exposes Shake Shack Price Increase After Declining Tip

A Utah man, Brian Powell, recently gained attention after sharing a viral video that seemed to show a price increase at a Shake Shack kiosk. This occurred after his wife chose not to leave a tip. Initially, Powell didn’t believe his wife when she reported the incident.

Powell, 45, mentioned that the event took place at Salt Lake City’s airport while they were waiting for a flight. His wife had bought three milkshakes from the Shake Shack location there. “She came back and told me they charged more because she didn’t tip,” Powell explained in a Zoom interview with Fox News Digital from London.

“I thought it was a little interesting,” Powell remarked.

This had never happened to him before, despite multiple visits to the same kiosk. Skeptical, he decided to verify the claim by recreating the order and recording it with his phone.

The video captured two of the shakes priced at $5.99 each initially. After selecting “no tip,” the kiosk displayed a message indicating a price update, with each shake now costing $6.49 – a 50-cent increase.

Shake Shack addressed the issue, stating that this was due to a technology error, not a company policy. “It is not Shake Shack policy to increase item prices when a tip is declined,” a spokesperson clarified.

The airport’s Shake Shack is run by HMSHost. An investigation by HMSHost identified a glitch in the kiosk technology, which they assured has been resolved. Powell documented the transaction on his phone to understand the situation better.

“It was peculiar,” Powell stated, sharing his suspicion that, despite having tipped at that location before, the sudden charge made little sense without more context.

Powell’s video garnered considerable attention. He edited and uploaded it while waiting for a delayed flight, noticing its rapid popularity soon after.

The video highlighted widespread frustration among Americans with tipping prompts in self-service settings. “Maybe tipping culture’s a little out of hand,” Powell commented, expressing his own view on the broader issue.

He plans to revisit the kiosk upon returning to Salt Lake City to see if HMSHost’s corrective measures have taken effect.

Peter Burke, a lifestyle editor with Fox News Digital, reports on various topics, focusing on food and drink.