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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.
