Shake Shack has responded to a viral video showing customers who declined to tip were charged more.
The fast-food chain spoke out after a patron shared footage that revealed the total cost of his order jumped by $1.50 after he refused to add gratuity at one of the burger joint’s locations at a Salt Lake City airport.
The video quickly went viral after it was posted on TikTok on Saturday, clocking up more than four million views and thousands of furious comments.
Shake Shack has since told the Daily Mail that the incident was the result of an error in the kiosk technology at a licensee’s restaurant.
‘It is not Shake Shack policy, nor that of our licensees, to increase the price of menu items when no tip is added,’ spokesman Corey Gee said.
‘The pricing issue shared online occurred at an airport Shack that is owned and operated by our licensee HMSHost. HMSHost investigated the matter and determined it was an error within their kiosk technology unrelated to tipping.’
The spokesman said the issue has been resolved and that Shake Shack will continue working to make sure every guest is taken care of.
Customer BD Powell exposed the error after attempting to order three of Shake Shack’s milkshakes priced at $5.99 each.
Shake Shack was forced to respond after customers shared video showing how they were charged more for their order after declining to leave a tip
Customer BD Powell uploaded footage of the bizarre situation at a Shake Shack in Salt Lake City (file photo)
After he pressed no tip, he was hit with an error message which read: ‘Uh Oh! There has been a pricing update on one or more of your cart items. Please review these changes in your cart.’
Checking back, the three Classic Shakes he had ordered jumped up by 50 cents each, bringing his total from $18.46 to $19.96, without any explanation.
The video sparked an uproar on social media even after Shake Shack’s official account commented on the post to explain.
‘I’d probably tip the 1 cent to get my food while I’m there, and then never come back or go to another Shake Shack ever again. I’ll add that the company putting out PR and “fixing” the problem won’t make me come back,’ wrote one disgruntled user.
‘You need to send a message, which in this case is a message to ALL other companies. Don’t EVER do this s*** because I’ll never come back even if you “fix” the issue.’
‘Why are we even tipping on an order which you place yourself at a self-checkout? What am I missing?’ another person fumed.
A third suggested, ‘If they’re sorry, they’d cut prices to make up for the extra money they “accidentally” stole.’
Corey Gee, a spokesman for Shake Shack, told the Daily Mail: ‘It is not Shake Shack policy, nor that of our licensees, to increase the price of menu items when no tip is added’
Gee said the issue was investigated and was determined to be an error with the kiosk, which was resolved (stock image)
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The iconic burger joint was recently ripped apart over its tipping culture after a customer wrote an open letter to the chain that reached thousands online.
A hungry patron visited a location in New York City and berated the company after complaining that the food missed the mark.
‘How about you make the focus on being exceptional in every way at your restaurants instead of begging for money to pay your staff when your prices are already higher than most other restaurants in your class,’ they wrote.
Similar to users who were disgusted by the latest controversy, the disappointed patron claimed they would be taking their business elsewhere for good.
