A woman documented her “weird” ice cream shop experience at a business that removes choice from its customers. There’s no option for refunds. No option for exchanges. You pay, they serve, and that’s the end of it.
Mary (@sugaryram) said looking at the store made her feel like she was in an episode of Black Mirror. She uploaded her order in a viral TikTok that accrued over 3 million views.
The TikToker’s clip begins with her recording the exterior of a store called Surprise Scoop. According to the business’s Instagram page, it’s a “roulette” style ice cream shop. I.e., patrons have no idea what kind of frozen dessert they’re going to receive.
“My boyfriend and I just found a ‘Black Mirror’ ice cream place in the East Village,” Mary writes in a text overlay of her video. She peers inside of the establishment’s windows, and it’s completely empty inside. It has purple tile floors and a purple neon “Open” sign glowing up front. White walls decorate the interior with colorful light blue, pink, and orange accented shapes.
Also fixed to the walls are touchscreens for patrons to interact with. It includes a list of frequently asked questions. When you’re ready to order, there’s only one option you can select: a $9.10 “surprise scoop.”
Located at the back of the business is a window where folks can pick up their ice cream once the order’s been processed. This social media video shows what the order processing looks like.
Mary was weirded out
In her TikTok, she commented on how surreal the shop’s setup felt. “This looks like a ‘Black Mirror episode.’ We’re on First Avenue between East 8th and East 9th.” Next, she focuses her camera lens on a sign posted outside of the shop.
It reads, “Welcome to Surprise Scoop! What you need to know. There’s just one item on the menu: ‘Surprise Ice Cream.’ All flavors are randomly selected (no flavor choosing allowed.) Our flavors change every day. NO refunds or exchanges — we keep it fun and adventurous. We are CASHLESS – credit/debit cards.”
After reading out some of the placard, she then turns her attention toward the setup of the ice cream shop. Across from the large touchscreen POS systems is a wall covered with mirrors. “So this whole room is totally empty, and you just order on this crazy screen. They’re open; I could go in. This room is—yeah. You order on this crazy screen in here, and then you pick up your surprise ice cream.”
Despite likening the store to a popular Netflix thriller series, Ray enters the business to try out its wares. “I feel like we should do it. Should we do it? I think we should do it,” she tells her companion as they walk inside.
Getting surprised
After walking inside, she cautiously asks, “Do we get murdered?” right before she waves to herself in the mirror. Following this, she approaches one of the touch screens and selects the Surprise Scoop option. And while folks don’t get to pick their flavors, there are some options folks can pick, however, when it comes to dietary restrictions.
Mary picks a “Twin Scoop” offering that reads, “YES, NUT-FREE NO, NOT DAIRY-FREE.” Another blurb on the order screen says, “We hand make ice cream in a facility that processes tree-nuts but we do not use any nuts in our ice cream and toppings. We do not have any dairy-free / vegan options at the moment.”
Furthermore, guests are allowed to pick up to 5 different allergens / dietary preferences. On Mary’s screen, she could ask for “no whipped cream, no cherry, gluten-free, no berries (i.e., strawberry, blueberry, etc.).
Lastly, there’s a “surprise consent” option that folks need to check before paying. It reads, “I understand that I will not know the flavor and I’m okay with that. :) NO EXCHANGES/REFUNDS.”
After toggling berries and “no cherry,” which the TikToker was excited about, she taps “add to cart.” Her total amounts to $11.65 and she pays for her item. “All right, so this is expensive ice cream. Here’s my order,” she says after the screen indicates her payment was accepted. She remarks that she hears folks moving around in the back of the business, working to complete her order.
Waiting
Afterward, she says, “And we’re just, here I am. Order in process,” she says, looking up at a screen above the pick-up window. It displays her order number, #110, as Mary patiently waits for her surprise scoops. Soon, however, she notices another Black Mirror-esque detail—her name was included on the order. This perturbed her because she didn’t put it down as she made her on-screen selection.
“Wait, that’s crazy. I didn’t put my name in!” she says. “Wow, this is wild,” she adds after waving to herself in the mirror again. She then notices a bit of writing plastered to the mirror. It reads, “They will learn to like it,” which elicits laughter from the TikToker. “This ice cream is cheaper than therapy,” she says, noticing another saying affixed to the mirror wall.
“Life is either a dairy adventure or nothing at all,” another statement reads.
“I feel like I’m in a Black Mirror episode. This is wild. Can we like put chairs in here or something? I hear people around there. I’m so serious, though they have no reason to know my name,” she says before a voice announces her ice cream is ready.
Verdict
“Order #110 for Mary.” Then, a piece of the back wall covered with black question marks opens up. A bearded employee can be seen behind the wall; he sets the mystery sundae down on the server counter. The painted-over counter window quickly closes as Mary begins laughing.
The ice cream is placed inside of a cardboard container that looks like it’s rocking a newspaper clipping design. “That was the silliest thing I’ve ever seen. It comes in this cute little box,” the TikToker says. Then, she goes on to assess the dessert she received, commenting she believes it’s “pistachio mint.”
Before trying the ice cream out, she didn’t have much confidence that she was going to enjoy it. “I don’t know if I’m gonna learn to like this. This might have been a waste. I’m so sorry. Oh my God, all right.” Next, she hands the phone over to her companion, who records her first bite. She bypasses a dollop of whipped cream and goes straight to the ice cream and gives it a taste.
It seems that its green facade was a red herring. “Oh, it’s good. I don’t know why it’s green. Kinda tastes like vanilla, caramel vanilla. I can’t figure out why it’s green, though. Maybe it’s pistachio? All right, well, it’s good,” she says.
Toward the end of the video, she records the mostly finished ice cream container while riding a subway train.
@sugaryram would you try this mystery flavor ice cream? 🍦 #nyc #icecream ♬ original sound – sugaryram
Commenters react
One person speculated that all of the ice cream flavors were the same but were just given different colors. “It would be funny if they were all Vanilla just different colors then see what people taste ha.”
Another replied, “This HAS TO be a performance art piece.”
Someone else said that there’s a big benefit for employees to work at this establishment. “Imagine working here though. you’d never have to talk to anyone.”
One viewer speculated as to what the flavor is based on its color profile. “That’s a bold guess but the green ice cream could be Pandan flavored! Pandan tastes like vanilla and nut as well, its delicious.”
Mary remarked that she had never heard of this flavor but referenced other users on the app who did. “That sounds right! I’d never heard of this flavor til today in the comments section!”
Another surmised that the business may’ve been able to ascertain her name based on her credit card information. However, Mary stated that this probably wasn’t the case because her partner paid for it. However, she remarked that she did sign up for rewards and used her cell phone number to do so. “Yes but my bf paid which is why I was super confused. But I put my cell in so it was prob that.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Surprise Scoop and Mary via Instagram direct message for further comment.
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