Salt Lake City kiosk glitch raised Shake Shack prices after customer declined to tip

A self-service kiosk at the Shake Shack inside Salt Lake City International Airport increased item prices by 50 cents each immediately after a customer selected “No Tip.” The exchange was captured in a TikTok video that has been viewed millions of times and prompted questions about kiosk behavior, transparency and who controls pricing at airport concessions.

What happened at the kiosk

TikTok creator B.D. Powell posted the video on Aug. 8 showing himself ordering three Classic Shakes — vanilla, strawberry and cookies and cream with whipped cream — at a kiosk. The screen initially displayed each shake at $5.99. When the kiosk later asked about a gratuity and Powell tapped “No Tip,” the screen flashed a message: “Uh Oh! There has been a pricing update on one or more of your cart items. Please review these changes in your cart.” Returning to the cart, each shake was shown at $6.49, and the subtotal increased from $18.46 to $19.96.

“A technology error caused what appeared to be an upcharge,” a spokesperson for HMSHost told FOX 13 News. The company said the system was undergoing a pricing update at the time, that menu boards showed the actual price and that the issue was corrected shortly after it was reported.

Reaction and reach

The clip spread rapidly on TikTok and other social platforms. FOX 13 reported the video had been viewed more than 4.2 million times, with nearly 418,000 likes and more than 82,000 shares. Viewers called the sequence a hidden surcharge and raised concerns about whether kiosks can apply different prices based on tipping choices.

• Items shown on the kiosk before the tip screen: $5.99 each.
• Items shown after selecting “No Tip”: $6.49 each.
• Order subtotal before change: $18.46; after change: $19.96.

Who is responsible?

Responsibility for pricing and point-of-sale behavior at airport restaurants typically rests with the concession operator and the technology vendor, not the branded restaurant alone. In this case, the location at Salt Lake City International Airport is operated by HMSHost, which told FOX 13 the appearance of an upcharge was caused by a technology error during a pricing update and that the system was fixed. Separately, Shake Shack said the price change was not company policy and that it was investigating the matter with the airport licensee and the kiosk system operator.

Local significance and consumer concerns

For Salt Lake City travelers, the incident highlights two closely related concerns: transparency in self-service ordering and who bears the burden when technology malfunctions. Travelers expect to see final prices before they commit to a payment; sudden changes tied to post-selection prompts — such as tip screens — can feel deceptive even when they result from an error. Airport concessions also operate in a complex environment where branding, third-party operators and technology vendors intersect, complicating accountability.

HMSHost’s statement that the menu boards displayed the actual price suggests the kiosk’s pre-tip price may not have matched the established menu price at the location, but the company did not release transaction logs or a technical explanation beyond calling the incident a technology error. Shake Shack’s statement that such a change is not company policy leaves open questions about how kiosks at licensed or franchised locations are configured and updated.

For now, HMSHost says the issue has been resolved. Travelers using airport kiosks should verify on-screen prices against posted menu prices and receipts before completing payment, particularly if a price-alert message appears during checkout.

HMSHost and Shake Shack did not provide additional documentation publicly; neither company released kiosk logs or a detailed timeline of the pricing update. The exchange underscores growing scrutiny of how automated ordering systems interact with tip prompts and what protections consumers have when displayed prices change during checkout.