Behind the drive-thru window at a Las Vegas Raising Cane’s, a familiar face was handing out combo boxes — and copies of his new album. Snoop Dogg, decked out in an all-yellow tracksuit, was on shift ahead of National Chicken Finger Day.
The “Doggfather” rapper’s surprise “shift” was part of a promotional event for a limited-time offer: an extra chicken finger for every “box combo” order. Snoop Dogg also appeared in a TV commercial celebrating the pseudo-holiday, which was trademarked in 2019 by Raising Cane’s owner and founder, Todd Graves.
This isn’t the first time Snoop Dogg has clocked in for a shift at Raising Cane’s — the rapper was previously seen manning the drive-thru window in 2021. But his stunt points to a continuing trend of celebrities cosplaying as minimum-wage workers. In 2023 alone, Ariana Madix slung tenders in an El Segundo Raising Cane’s, Ben Affleck passed coffees through a Dunkin’ window and Lana Del Rey poured coffee at a Waffle House in Alabama. Ed Sheeran, David Letterman and even Prince William all took a turn in aprons, doling out everything from hot dogs and veggie burgers to groceries.
What’s the deal with rich folks pretending to be minimum-wage workers for just a few hours? In Lana’s case, it was a spontaneous gig that happened after restaurant staff gave her and her siblings Waffle House shirts to wear for fun (“We were on our third hour, and the servers asked, ‘Do you guys want shirts?’” She later told The Hollywood Reporter. “Hell yeah! We were thrilled”). But for the most part, such stunts are mere promotional opportunities.
Madix’s shift took place shortly before the Season 10 reunion of “Vanderpump Rules.” Affleck’s Dunkin’ stint was part of a 2023 Super Bowl ad, which also happened to be directed by Affleck — the actor, naturally, had a Dunkin’ cup in hand even when the cameras weren’t rolling. Sheeran’s wiener fiesta was simply a quick pit-stop before his concert. And Letterman’s Hy-Vee shift was part of a promotional event for the Hy-Vee IndyCar race in Des Moines, where he also co-owns the No. 45 car. It’s good press for both the celebrity and the restaurant or grocery store they’re “working” in.
Not to mention that celebrity sightings are buzzy. Photos of Lana’s Waffle House uniform quickly circulated across social media with posts and headlines wondering why the singer-songwriter was pouring coffee for customers. “What’s going on with Lana Del [Rey] working at a Waffle House?” read a two-year-old post made on Reddit. “She really is one of a kind like who else but Lana to do this type of random stunt and for it to make total sense?” read another comment. “I can’t help but love her.” Indeed, these stunts are random, shocking and entertaining. There’s the spectacle of seeing your favorite celebrity out in public. There’s also the juxtaposition of the affluent taking up spaces that have traditionally and stereotypically signaled the opposite.
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For years, celebrities have relentlessly tried to prove that they’re ordinary people, just like you and me. Celebrities are certainly human, but they aren’t “ordinary,” especially when their names are attached to fame, privilege and status — things us ordinary folks lack. So, for celebrities to pretend to work minimum wage jobs and treat food-service spaces as their personal playground is, understandably, weird. Especially when fast-food workers and grocery store employees are still vastly underpaid.
According to a 2023 study conducted in California by the nonprofit group Economic Roundtable, a large proportion of workers in the fast food industry live in poverty than any other industry. Fast-food workers represented one out of 17 homeless individuals in California. In other words, among all the homeless individuals in the state, 10,120 are homeless fast food workers.
It’s a strange sight: a millionaire playacting as a cashier in an industry where many workers can’t afford rent. A study from Northwestern University’s Workplace Justice Lab and Rutgers University found that one in four fast food workers based in Los Angeles were paid below the minimum wage in 2024. And a 2025 study from LendingTree found that fast food employees in the nation’s largest metropolitan areas need to work up to 78 hours a week to cover basic living expenses.
In the grand scheme of things, celebrities pulling publicity stunts in restaurants, drive-thrus and grocery stores isn’t that pressing of an issue. As Sam Stone wrote for Bon Appétit, “As is the case with, dare I say, every PR stunt, it is truly not that deep.”
Still, there’s nuance to that statement when it comes to how what we consume is marketed (take, for example, Sydney Sweeney’s latest American Eagle campaign). If anything, such stunts point to major fast food companies’ responsibility to properly compensate their employees. If companies have the funds to partner with celebrities, then they certainly must do a better job supporting their workers.
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