Chipotle CEO says chain is making ‘meaningful progress’ on a major customer concern

Chipotle CEO says chain is making ‘meaningful progress’ on a major customer concern

Chipotle CEO Scott Boatwright said Wednesday the fast-casual chain is seeing improvement in customers’ perceptions of affordability. Speaking on Chipotle’s second-quarter earnings call, Boatwright said the company’s brand tracking showed improved perceptions of value across “all income groups and age cohorts.” “As it relates to value, I’m happy to report our brand tracker showed really solid progress across all … Read more

Popeye’s self-service kiosk prompts customer for tip: ‘Delusional’

Popeye’s self-service kiosk prompts customer for tip: ‘Delusional’

Don’t forget to tip your robots. A hungry Popeyes customer visited the Great Lakes Crossing mall location in Auburn Hills, Michigan and ordered his meal at a kiosk. When it was time to pay, the self-service machine asked for a tip. The diner, who posted the exchange on a popular Facebook group called Retail Dead … Read more

Annoyed customer accuses McDonald’s of shrinkflation after receiving an ‘action figure-sized’ soda

Annoyed customer accuses McDonald’s of shrinkflation after receiving an ‘action figure-sized’ soda

They’re not loving it. McDonald’s is getting flak for supposedly joining other restaurant chains and supermarkets in jumping on the shrinkflation bandwagon. The fired-up conversation was sparked by a Reddit user who shared a side-by-side photo of a small McDonald’s soda and a small blue plastic cup, pointing out how tiny the chain’s drink size … Read more

Dollar Tree installs customer price scanners for a disheartening reason: ‘Never thought I’d see the day’

Dollar Tree installs customer price scanners for a disheartening reason: ‘Never thought I’d see the day’

Well, that’s priceless. An observant Dollar Tree shopper recently spotted a price checker in the aisles at their local store. In a post on the popular Facebook group Retail Dead or Alive, a space dedicated to “discussing retail of ANY kind,” a member posted a photo of the scanner. “Never thought I’d see the day … Read more

US snubbed in global ranking for friendliest customer service — but NYC eked out top 5 in stateside list

US snubbed in global ranking for friendliest customer service — but NYC eked out top 5 in stateside list

We’re not “king of the hill, top of the heap” when it comes to customer service. New York might not have the world’s friendliest servers, but it did crack the top five among towns in the US. At least that was the verdict rendered by the experts at business insurance firm Money Super Market, who … Read more

California restaurants do the unthinkable: Letting guests name their price

California restaurants do the unthinkable: Letting guests name their price

Several restaurants in Northern California have decided the best way to reel in new guests for a dining experience is to let them pay what they can for their meals. Michelin-starred restaurants like Merchant Roots and Bombero in the Bay Area are telling guests to eat what they want and pay whatever they can for … Read more

Venice cafe owned by ‘Love Island’ Bombshell contestant sees huge customer spike with watch parties and night markets

Venice cafe owned by ‘Love Island’ Bombshell contestant sees huge customer spike with watch parties and night markets

Gal’s girls turned out in force for a watch party celebrating the hottest reality show of the summer: “Love Island USA.” While the Season 8 Islanders and late-arriving “bombshells” remain cut off from the outside world in a Fiji villa with no phones or social media, one Venice, California, café is cashing in on the … Read more

Dollar General answers customer inflation woes by pricing down over 2,000 items to just $1 or less

Dollar General answers customer inflation woes by pricing down over 2,000 items to just  or less

Dollar General will officially be living up to its name again — with $1 price tags. The discount retailer’s CEO, Todd Vasos, announced in an earnings call that shoppers pinching pennies will now spot over 2,000 items across stores “at or below the $1 price point.” But when and why did the chain’s costs rise … Read more

Costco is fixing some of its most annoying customer checkout issues

Costco is fixing some of its most annoying customer checkout issues

They’re teching things up a notch.  Costco, known for offering its warehouse club members decent deals on bulk buys sans the bells and whistles of digital devices, is now introducing scanning technology and digital membership cards to improve customer experience.  It’s an automated miracle.  Costo rolling out new technology including a Scan & Pay feature and digital … Read more

Burger King brings back fan-favorite menu item after 15 years of customer pleas

Burger King brings back fan-favorite menu item after 15 years of customer pleas

Burger King fans have crowned the nuggets that reign supreme.  For the first time since 2011, BK put crown-shaped nuggets back on the menu after years of customers asking for them to return, adding them to their new summer menu.  Customers can purchase them standalone as an 8-piece order for $3.49 or as part of … Read more

Outback Steakhouse customer sues restaurant for $1.5M after face-plant over ‘slippery’ mashed potatoes

Outback Steakhouse customer sues restaurant for .5M after face-plant over ‘slippery’ mashed potatoes

For one Outback Steakhouse customer, the mashed potatoes came at an additional cost and were apparently best served on the floor. A Virginia woman has filed a $1.5 million lawsuit against the Australian-themed restaurant chain, claiming she slipped on mashed potatoes inside a restaurant and fell face-first onto the floor, suffering serious and permanent injuries. … Read more

Internet destroys entitled Domino’s customers demanding refund after scarfing down entire meal

Internet destroys entitled Domino’s customers demanding refund after scarfing down entire meal

A viral video shows a Domino’s employee keeping her cool while being confronted by an angry group of customers demanding a refund. The video, recorded by one of the customers, shows the group upset that the employee refused to issue a refund because the guests did not bring the pizza box back to the store. … Read more

E.l.f Beauty reversing tariff price increases amid customer ‘suffering,’ sales drop and $49.4M loss

E.l.f Beauty reversing tariff price increases amid customer ‘suffering,’ sales drop and .4M loss

Those inflated costs were elf-ing up business.  Cosmetics and skincare company e.l.f. Beauty is finally giving beauty buffs a break, reversing its tariff-fueled price increases to quell the “suffering” of cash-strapped customers amid the gas crisis.  “We’ve seen units drop off a bit more in the last few months as consumers have particularly been suffering with higher … Read more

Target shopping cart ‘upgrade’ for one small feature ends up stirring customer revolt: ‘Pieces of garbage’

Target shopping cart ‘upgrade’ for one small feature ends up stirring customer revolt: ‘Pieces of garbage’

Ticked-off Target customers claim its new carts totally miss the bullseye.  Fire and brimstone are befalling the big-box store yet again as incensed shoppers say its 50,000 newfangled carts are “pieces of garbage” that are “falling apart.” Sounds like hell on wheels.  Target is catching flak over its new fleet of shopping carts, which critics … Read more

Costco quietly launches new bakery rules after years of customer complaints: ‘About time!’

Costco quietly launches new bakery rules after years of customer complaints: ‘About time!’

Costco is making a small change to one of its bakery staples — and members are divided. Shopping at Costco tends to come with the dilemma of good prices but too much food, and now the warehouse chain is testing a new way to sell its Kirkland Signature bagels to combat that. When buying bagels … Read more

Wendy’s brings back discontinued menu favorite after customer uproar

Wendy’s brings back discontinued menu favorite after customer uproar

Wendy’s has brought back its Sweet and Sour dipping sauce after months of backlash from customers. The sauce was scrapped in September 2025 as part of a broader menu shake-up that cut several originals, including Ghost Pepper Ranch and BBQ, and introduced a new lineup featuring Signature, Scorchin’ Hot, Creamy Ranch, Honey BBQ, Honey Mustard … Read more

Home Depot says ‘bye’ to a traditional customer service feature in favor of AI

Home Depot says ‘bye’ to a traditional customer service feature in favor of AI

Home Depot is letting go of a traditional store feature and introducing a new customer support system. The retailer is replacing their old-school phone menus with an AI-powered voice agent to provide support for customer calls four times faster, according to the company. “Say ‘bye’ to the traditional phone menu,” Home Depot wrote in a … Read more

Chick-fil-A slammed for ‘shrinkflation’ after customer reveals 5-year downfall of fan-favorite sandwich

Chick-fil-A slammed for ‘shrinkflation’ after customer reveals 5-year downfall of fan-favorite sandwich

This dish went through a breast reduction. Chick-fil-A is catching heat for the downward trajectory of one of its signature sandwiches. The conversation was ignited by a Reddit user who shared before-and-after photos comparing their Chick-fil-A Deluxe Sandwich order from today with one from 2021. While both were served with lettuce, a sliced tomato, and … Read more

‘Hippy’ Whole Foods customer sparks outrage after bringing ‘crusty’ dog to hot food bar: ‘Effing disgusting’

‘Hippy’ Whole Foods customer sparks outrage after bringing ‘crusty’ dog to hot food bar: ‘Effing disgusting’

Every dog has its day, but not at the hot bar, folks. Whole Foods has come under fire after a photo of a shopper holding her dog dangerously close to consumables went viral. The offending image shows a customer casually browsing the buffet counter while holding her small white dog, with said pet’s tail and … Read more

Crying influencer barred from flight for cursing out gate agent — then expects social media to sympathize: ‘The customer is not always right’

Crying influencer barred from flight for cursing out gate agent — then expects social media to sympathize: ‘The customer is not always right’

For calling an airport gate agent the B-word, this entitled travel influencer got left behind.  Curses and epithets, evidently, won’t fly with Ryanair Airlines staffers, so learned a sobbing Joleen Weiss, who was barred from boarding a plane after insulting a woman on the job.  “I’m never flying Ryanair ever again,” Weiss, from Boston, weeped … Read more