Cooked: Celebrated Chef exits new venture after allegedly balking at free food for influencer because she wasn't famous enough
The incident unfolded Wednesday at Kis Cafe in Hayes Valley, when 'micro-influencer' @itskarlabb described how she had pre-arranged a collab with the restaurant's team and showed up early to film content, according to a video she posted to her platform.
3 Influencer @itskarlabb was allegedly belittled by top chef Luke Sung over her supposedly low follower count, leaving her running from his new California restaurant in tears.
itskarlabb/tiktok
The influencer, known as Karla, claimed that a man — later identified as celebrated James Beard Award-nominated chef and co-owner Luke Sung — questioned her 15,000-follower count and told staff it was a 'mistake' to invite an influencer so small.
'I know they're talking about me, because I can hear them saying 'TikTok, views, followers' ,' she said in a later video, which has racked up more than 20 million views.
The influencer said that when she introduced herself, Sung grilled her over whether she had researched the restaurant, a wine bar serving small bites.
She insisted she knew the menu and the vibe, but Sung disagreed and began scrolling through her TikTok feed at full volume within earshot, the influencer said.
'After scrolling like, two times, he says to me that he doesn't think my videos are at the level which he wants his restaurant represented,' she recalled. 'It seemed like he was insinuating that my followers would not be able to afford to eat at this restaurant.'
3 Sung couldn't take the heat after the pair's alleged exchange went viral and left his new venture.
San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images
Sung then reportedly asked, 'Do you know who I am?' and told Karla he was a two-time James Beard Award finalist and that his daughter is Big Apple vlogger, Isa Sung, who has 600,000 TikTok followers.
He also dismissed the influencer's cooking videos she posted to her platform, dissing them as 'homey,' Karla said.
The belittling exchange left her in tears, she said.
'I told him I felt disrespected and didn't want to collaborate anymore,' the influencer said.
Karla's follower count has since skyrocketed to more than 350,000 since she shared the story on TikTok.
The influencer said she wants to 'be an advocate for micro influencers' who don't receive as many handouts.
'You don't need to have a million followers to be respected or feel like you're making a difference,' she said.
3 Kis Cafe, which opened in May, announced that Sung had left as chef and co-owner.
FOX
By Friday, Kis Cafe's was getting cooked on Yelp, where its rating plunged from four to five stars to just over two stars, and reviews for 'Isa '– a 'pioneering' Cal-French restaurant that Sung previously opened and named after his influencer daughter — grew with haters lambasting the chef for his behavior.
Kis Cafe, which opened in May, soon announced that Sung had left as a chef and co-owner, later clarifying he had done so of his 'own accord' and was not technically fired.
'Our chef's behavior was unacceptable, and he is no longer a part of the team,' Kis Cafe wrote in an Instagram post Thursday.
The restaurant said it has now temporarily closed to 'restructure.'
'We want to create a space that's welcoming and respectful to everyone. In this instance, we failed to do so,' Kis Cafe said in a statement.
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