Colorado Woman Goes To The Cheesecake Factory. She’s Shocked When She Gets The Bill: ‘And It Costs Them About 5 Cents’

A Denver woman went to the Cheesecake Factory, and after taking a look at the bill, she said she experienced “scamflation.”

Shannon McNamara (@fluentlyforward), who runs the podcast “FluentlyForward,” posted a video about her recent experience at the Cheesecake Factory. It has more than 195,000 views on TikTok.

McNamara says she went to the Cheesecake Factory with her friend, Chelsea, and they each ordered a Diet Coke. When the bill came back, though, McNamara realized that the two drinks came out to $9.90.

“It wasn’t even filled up. Or … refilled,” McNamara says.

Cheapism reported back in 2025 that the Cheesecake Factory is supposed to offer free refills on fountain beverages.

McNamara says the drinks cost as much as a Diet Coke would at airports, which notably have expensive food and beverage options.

At first, the two women thought it was just a “Cheesecake Factory thing” until they later went to a separate establishment for happy hour. There, she says the Diet Coke her friend purchased cost $4.

“You could get it cheaper at a sports stadium. You could get it cheaper at a vending machine,” McNamara says. “I might call both of these places and be like, ‘Walk me through one Diet Coke being $4.’”

How Much Do Sodas Cost Restaurants?

The Takeout estimated in 2025 that sodas can cost a consumer $3 to $4, with or without refills. That makes most sodas roughly 1,125% more expensive than it costs to produce.

That means sodas are one of the most profitable items restaurants typically sell. “Soft drinks can often be the most profitable aspect of a restaurant due to their high markups, sometimes making the difference between a restaurant’s success and its failure,” the outlet reports.

Shrinkflation At The Cheesecake Factory And Grocery Stores

The Cheesecake Factory is no stranger to “shrinkflation”—products getting smaller but costing more—accusations. Previously, the size of the $13 cheesecake slices was under scrutiny.

Shrinkflation is not just a phenomenon that restaurants get accused of partaking in. Consumers have also complained about the sizes and prices of products found in grocery stores.

Overall, the price of soda has also inflated, which can lead to commercial price increases. FinanceBuzz reported that, for consumers, a 12-pack of soda has doubled in price since 2020.

What Viewers Think

One viewer explained the price increase in the comment section. They added that external factors can play a role in the price increase.

“Profit margins on sodas has always been high compared to a lot of the food margins,” they said. “With inflation, rents, insurance, utilities have gone away 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.”

Others called the increase in price a recession indicator.

One person said, “At this point they’re price gauging.”

“Isn’t soda cheap for restaurants?? wth,” another questioned.

“And [it] costs them about 5 cents, not even exaggerating,” another claimed.

BroBible reached out to both McNamara and the Cheesecake Factory via email for comment.