Customer Experience

Shake Shack blames kiosk glitch for apparent no-tip price increase

Photo: John Hanson Pye - stock.adobe.com

August 12, 2026

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Shake Shack said a technology error, rather than a surcharge for declining to tip, caused prices to increase in a viral video recorded at its Salt Lake City International Airport location, according to a NewsNation report. The company said neither it nor its licensees has a policy of raising menu prices when customers select the no-tip option.

The TikTok video, which had received more than 4.2 million views by Monday, showed a customer ordering three milkshakes at a self-service kiosk. After the customer declined to leave a tip, the kiosk displayed a pricing-update message and increased the price of each shake by 50 cents, raising the total from $18.46 to $19.96. The video generated widespread criticism amid growing frustration over tipping practices.

The airport restaurant is owned and operated by licensee HMSHost, which determined that the increase resulted from a kiosk technology malfunction that has since been corrected, according to Shake Shack. HMSHost operates more than 1,000 dining locations at nearly 80 North American airports. Shake Shack reported 420 U.S. restaurants at the end of 2025, with nearly 90% operated by the company.