In July 2023, singer Ed Sheeran served hot dogs at The Wieners Circle in Chicago, a restaurant famous for insulting customers. He pulled a 10-minute shift right before playing to 73,000 fans at the Soldier Stadium.
People flocked from all over to see Sheeran, and he filled 100 orders in the 10 minutes he was there. Employees said they enjoyed having him there, but that he was far too polite to actually make it as an employee.
Ed Sheeran seems to just spend his time doing fun side quests. When he released his album Autumn Variations, he celebrated by launching the Pumpkin Spice Latte at a Seattle Starbucks.
He posted a video to his Instagram of his experience, where he would ask customers their name for their drinks and then write a completely different name. Honestly, he’s not far off from how actual baristas take orders.
Ben Affleck has a well-known obsession with Dunkin’ Donuts, so him working a shift at the drive-thru was just a matter of time. Super Bowl LVII aired a Dunkin’ commercial starring Ben Affleck that fans loved.
He takes selfies with customers who recognize him and gives out free munchkins. He also says “How can it be this inexpensive and good?” when talking about the menu, and we’re pretty sure that’s just actually how Affleck feels.
Former President Donald Trump is hot on the campaign trail, and that led him to… a McDonald’s? On October 20, 2024, Trump visited a Pennsylvania McDonald’s where he spent 15 minutes handing containers of french fries out to “customers.”
The whole thing was a photo-op because the store was closed and the “customers” in the drive through were pre-selected. They didn’t even order, just took what they were handed. Not exactly “one of the people.”
Earlier this year, following the release of her hit song “Espresso,” singer Sabrina Carpenter worked a shift as a barista at London’s Blank Street Coffee. Blank Street Coffee’s Instagram posted a photo captioned, “She’s working late because she’s a baristaaaa.”
The post referenced a line in her song. This stunt had mixed reviews. Some people felt it was rude to dress up as a minimum-wage worker, while others thought it was clever marketing.
Ariana Madix, star of Vanderpump Rules, is known for serving up revenge. However, things took a turn when she started serving up Caniac Combos instead. In May 2023, the reality show star worked a shift at the Raising Cane’s drive-thru.
The shift was a publicity stunt pulled days before a reunion episode of Vanderpump Rules came out. While she succeeded in surprising and exciting fans, she didn’t learn the secret sauce recipe in the hour she worked there.
Pictures of Lana Del Rey serving coffee at an Alabama Waffle House surfaced online in 2023, and a few months later she finally explained what she was doing. It wasn’t a PR stunt or a side-job, she was just having fun.
Lana was at the same Waffle House for days in a row while visiting family, and employees finally asked if she wanted a t-shirt and matching name tag. She served a regular his Coke (no ice) with an empty cup.
David Letterman was in a video posted by supermarket chain Hy-Vee, where he worked a shift at a Des Moines, Iowa location. He restocked canned goods, drank a can of soup, bagged groceries, and announced that celery was free over the intercom.
For the late-night host, this wasn’t just a fun promotional video but a trip back to his roots. Letterman worked at an Atlas Supermarket while he was in high school, but we assume he was having a lot less fun then.
Even the heir to the British throne can’t help but dressing up as an average worker for a day. Prince William partnered with the YouTube Channel Sorted Food to hand out burgers inspired by his Earthshot prize.
He challenged the team at Sorted Food to come up with an environmentally-friendly dish, and he joined them at a food truck to give out their creation. He surprised customers and spread awareness for his cause.
TikTok stars Charli and Dixie D’Amelio faced a lot of backlash after posting a promotional video for the launch of their Be Happy Snacks Popcorn, sold exclusively at Walmart. In the video, the sisters dressed up as Walmart cashiers.
The pictures showed them pretending to work there and checking out their products. Social media users felt like they were “glorifying” a difficult job and treating minimum wage workers as if their jobs were easy.
