Pittsburgh’s favorite deal on shakes has returned to Milkshake Factory in Oakland. The ‘Rusty’s Shake’ is the newest, hottest item available at the Milkshake Factory on Forbes Avenue, and the Penguins’ faithful can’t seem to get enough. 

The promotion is simple — every time Pittsburgh Penguins right-winger Bryan Rust scores a goal, Rusty’s Shakes are half-price the following day. The shake includes Oreos, brownies and hot fudge and is topped with whipped cream, as well as a chocolate “17” for Rust. 

Brea Bonnett, the general manager at the Milkshake Factory in Oakland, says the Milkshake Factory makes an average of 300-400 shakes on days following Rust goals, with up to 600 made on high-traffic days.

“We always get a huge uptick of people coming through the door excited about the shake,”  Bonnett said. “People are super excited [and] they always get it because it’s half-off.” 

Rust is in the midst of a career year, as the 32-year-old is currently on pace for career highs in goals and points scored. Rust’s performance this season, combined with the steep discount, has led to a perfect storm of popularity for the promotional shake.

The original shake dates back to 2018, when Milkshake Factory partnered with then Penguins center Jake Guentzel to sell “Jake’s Shake.” Jake’s Shake was made with hot fudge, cookies and cream and brownies, then topped with fudge, caramel and a milk chocolate ‘59’ for Guentzel’s jersey number. 

Something about the shake seems to bring out the best in both players. Similar to Rust, Guentzel had career years while the promotion was active, scoring a career-high 40 goals both in the 2018-19 and 2021-22 seasons. Sadly, the fan-favorite Guentzel was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes in March of 2024, ending the Jake’s Shake tenure. 

Some devoted fans, such as sophomore economics major Aidan Provda, are there most days to cash in on the sale.

“I actively check ESPN box scores to see if he scored,” Provda said before he dug into his 26th Rusty’s Shake of the year. 

Provda, whose favorite part of the shake is the cookies and cream, only ever goes to Milkshake Factory when the promotion is running, ensuring he gets the 50% off. 

“I don’t go in here otherwise,” Provda said.

Junior finance and business analytics major Andrew Morik said that his favorite part about the shake is the experience. 

“It’s a perfect combination of two of my favorite things in life — sports and treats,” Morik said. 

Morik first heard about the promotion from his business organization, Phi Beta Lambda. Back when the promotion revolved around former Penguin Jake Geuntzel, Morik would receive a text from a group chat that Jake’s Shakes were on sale. These days, Morik runs a group chat of his own that tracks when Rust scores.

Morik has gotten the shake after every single Rust goal this season, besides one goal scored while Morik was on spring break. 

Morik is a longtime hockey fan, but the shake and the deal got him more into Penguins hockey specifically. 

“I get to root for Rust to score, and then rally my friends together to go pay four dollars for a premium milkshake the next day,” Morik said.

This season, the shake returned to the excitement of fans, with Bryan Rust as the new face of the promotion. 

Thanks to Rust’s career year, fans have enjoyed half-price shakes plenty of times this season. There are two ways to tell when the sale is running — a sign on the counter that reads “RUSTY’S SHAKE DAY” and a constant stream of customers.

While the Penguins are in a down year, Bryan Rust is a bright spot. Not only has he contributed on the ice, but he has also contributed to the Oakland community by feeding students. While Rust continues to tear it up on the ice, you can celebrate all season long at all Pittsburgh Milkshake Factory locations. Victory has never tasted so sweet.