Secret Menus and TikTok Order Hacks are Out of Control | Eater

"This coffee chain has become a focal point of "hack" culture: elaborate, user-created drink recipes spread on TikTok and Instagram that customers order via the app to avoid face-to-face awkwardness. Baristas report that these customizations now make up a large share of orders, are increasingly complex (for example, blended lattes with strawberry cold foam), and frequently disrupt service during rushes because workers must learn, craft, and sometimes remake unfamiliar recipes on the fly. Creators of these drinks often urge tipping and patience, but employees say the real solution requires better staffing, higher pay, and stronger labor protections rather than expecting frontline workers to absorb the extra labor for free." - Jaya Saxena