‘Isn’t that illegal’: Los Angeles man refuses to tip at Shake Shack. Then the restaurant’s kiosk changes all three shake prices
A checkout screen changing prices after a customer makes a payment decision is the kind of moment that can make anyone pause. One Los Angeles man says that is exactly what happened when he tested a claim about tipping at Shake Shack.
B.D. Powell (@b.d.powell) says his wife believed customers who choose not to leave a tip at Shake Shack’s kiosk could see higher prices before completing their order. He decided to record himself testing the claim, and the result quickly caught viewers’ attention.
In the video, Powell says he noticed all three shakes in his order increased in price after he moved through the checkout process. While the clip does not prove why the prices changed, it has raised questions about whether the kiosk’s pricing update was connected to tipping or something else.
The moment he noticed something was different
Powell begins the video by explaining his wife’s theory that refusing to tip could affect the price of items at Shake Shack. He then places an order for three shakes, showing the kiosk before moving toward checkout.
The creator selects strawberry, cookies and cream, and vanilla Classic Shakes. He points out the prices listed on the screen and shows that he did not select a tip option before continuing with the order.
When he reaches the checkout screen, Powell says the kiosk displays a message stating, “Uh oh, there’s been a pricing update on one or more of your cart items. Please review.” After reviewing the order, Powell says the prices for all three shakes increased by 50 cents. “Everything just went up 50 cents,” he says in the video.
Powell then questions the change and tells viewers not to visit the restaurant. The video has since received millions of views, bringing attention to his claim about the kiosk’s pricing update.
However, the video does not confirm that Shake Shack’s kiosk increased the prices because Powell selected no tip. The pricing update message could be related to other factors, including a menu update, location-specific pricing, or a technical issue.
Shake Shack has not publicly confirmed that tipping choices affect item prices at its kiosks. The company has not addressed Powell’s specific claim about the pricing update.
Shake Shack is a fast-casual restaurant chain known for its burgers, chicken sandwiches, fries, hot dogs, frozen custard, and shakes. The company started as a hot dog cart in New York City’s Madison Square Park before opening its first permanent location in 2004.
The chain has since expanded across the United States and internationally, offering menu items such as the ShackBurger, chicken bites, crinkle-cut fries, frozen custard desserts, and Classic Shakes in flavors including vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, and cookies and cream.
Many Shake Shack locations use self-service kiosks that allow customers to customize orders, review items, and complete payments. These kiosks often include optional tipping screens, a feature that has become more common across restaurants and other businesses.
The use of digital tipping prompts has led to more discussions among customers about when and how gratuity options appear during purchases. Powell’s video adds to those conversations by raising questions about what caused the price change he saw during his order.
Questions about how tipping options appear during checkout have also surfaced in other restaurant-related stories. An Applebee’s customer previously questioned a suggested tip amount shown during checkout after noticing a difference in the expected calculation, while another viral incident focused on a server confronting a customer over their decision not to leave a tip.
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