Aug 9, 2026
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Add us on GoogleA viral TikTok video about Shake Shack is sparking debate over tipping culture online. A customer showed the price of his order after visiting a Shake Shack location at an airport, in which his order appeared to increase when he selected “No Tip” at a self-service kiosk.
In the video, which began circulating online over the weekend, a man and his wife place an order for three $5.99 Classic Shakes — a vanilla, strawberry and cookies and cream with whipped cream (for an extra 49 cents). When they reach the payment screen, they are prompted to leave a tip.
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After selecting the option for no tip, the footage shows an error message on the screen that reads: “Uh Oh! There has been a pricing update on one or more of your cart items. Please review these changes in your cart.” When they do, the prices displayed appeared to have increased by roughly 50 cents each.
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“Making sure everybody knows: Do not go there,” the TikToker, B.D. Powell warns, suggesting that customers who decline gratuity will be charged more for the same order.
The video does not prove that selecting “No Tip” actually caused the price increase — and Shake Shack has denied the claim. Nonetheless, the video quickly spread across social media, with some viewers describing the practice as a “no-tip surcharge” and others arguing that “tipping culture has gotten out of hand.”
For its part Shake Shack commented on the TikTok saying, “Thank you for bringing this to our attention. This is not a Shake Shack policy, and we’re currently looking into it with our licensee, HMSHost, that operates the Salt Lake City airport location and kiosk system.”
Consumers are feeling “tipping fatigue”
Shake Shack and other fast-casual restaurants increasingly use digital kiosks that ask customers to tip before they have received their food, even if customers order it themselves.
Currently, 78% of American consumers are experiencing “tipping fatigue,” up from 65% in 2025, 60% in 2024 and 53% in 2023, according to an annual study by Popmenu. Consumers believe that tipping practices have become “ridiculous.” In fact, 44% actually report tipping less this year than last year, seemingly out of spite.
Forty-two percent of consumers also say they are becoming more comfortable skipping gratuities for certain services and, although 59% of consumers still feel compelled to leave a tip when prompted to do so on digital screens, that number is down from 66% in 2025. Nearly a quarter of consumers (22%) still tip at fast food restaurants, like Shake Shack, but that number is also down from 27% last year.
Still, consumers estimate that, over the last 12 months, they’ve spent about $130 on tips they didn’t think were necessary.
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Where do self-service tips go?
If customers are tipping kiosks, who is on the receiving end? While the money is intended for on-duty staff — pooled and split among workers — oversight can be questionable if the money isn’t going to them directly.
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While covered non-exempt workers, including many fast food employees, are entitled to a federal minimum wage of no less than $7.25 per hour, anyone whose income comes largely from tips alone is bearing the biggest brunt of tipping fatigue — and they’re losing more if those already declining tips don’t even end up in their pockets.
The tipping debate is particularly notable at Shake Shack because the chain’s founder, Danny Meyer, previously criticized the pressure to tip for basic transactions. In 2023 Meyer said customers picking up food or buying coffee had no obligation to tip.
“If you’re just taking out food and it was just a transaction — I give you money and you give me a cup of coffee — I don’t think there’s any obligation to tip whatsoever,” he said, as reported by Bon Appétit.
For now, there is no solid evidence that Shake Shack is deliberately charging customers more when they select “No Tip.” But the viral video has nonetheless reignited the conversation over whether tipping prompts are going too far.
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AnnaMarie Houlis is a journalist and author with more than 15 years of experience, thousands of bylines and four books covering everything from travel, lifestyle and wellness to finance, technology and business.
