This TikToker stopped at The Cheesecake Factory for a couple of Diet Cokes, and left accusing the chain of scamflation after seeing the bill

A woman is going viral on TikTok after she allegedly accused The Cheesecake Factory of high drink prices. According to Brobible, the woman claimed she went to one of the branches with a friend and ordered two Diet Cokes. The bill came, and it seemed much higher than the cost of two Diet Cokes outside. She then called out the chain for increasing the price without justification.

A TikTok influencer, Shannon MacNamara, who runs her podcast, FluentlyForward, posted a video about her odd visit to the Cheesecake Factory. McNamara declared that during their visit to the factory, they ordered nothing but two Diet Cokes, but when the bill came, her words suggested she was referring to it as “scamflation.” On her $9.90 bill, she astonishingly said, “It wasn’t even filled up. Or … refilled.”

McNamara thought at the time that this was only the case at Cheesecake, but she later found out it was not only there but also at a separate, high-volume establishment, where a Diet Coke cost $4. After learning that, she said, “You could get it cheaper at a sports stadium. You could get it cheaper at a vending machine,” McNamara added. “I might call both of these places and be like, ‘Walk me through one Diet Coke being $4.’”

Viewers say higher beverage prices are an easy way for restaurants to offset inflation 

Viewers claimed that raising beverage prices is a way for restaurants to manage the higher inflation. Some even argued that beverage companies offer special discounts to restaurant owners, yet they tend to raise prices rather than cut costs. One of the viewers wrote, “Profit margins on sodas have always been high compared to a lot of the food margins,” they said. “With inflation, rents, insurance, utilities have gone up so they’ve increased the easiest profit margin to cover those overhead costs rather than making the food crazy expensive for a lesser margin.”

While the others were not thrilled by the increase in prices, and they were in favor of the influencers for calling these practices out, “I noticed this the other day, and it was like the cost of a gallon of gas. Is my Dr. Pepper stuck in the Strait of Hormuz???” Another one added, “A Sprite was $8 at a movie theater. I said I’d rather order the cocktail!”

Similar to one Longhorn Steakhouse customer, some viewers suggested that the price increase falls under the category of shrinkflation, a term used to describe restaurants increasing prices while giving customers smaller portions. In comments, people mentioned the same cases as the influencer, and, in my opinion, as a consumer, I get their frustration.

The reporting is based on Shannon’s TikTok, and there’s no follow-up video or response from the chain’s side offering further insight into the matter. It appears to be just another story about a customer who seems unhappy with the price.