Latest news with #Karla
Fox News
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Restaurant shuts down after chef insults TikTok influencer, prompting outrage: 'Still shaking'
A San Francisco restaurant recently closed its doors after an influencer shared a viral encounter she had with the restaurant's chef. The eatery, Kis Café, closed down last week, according to its own Instagram post. A TikTok creator named Karla — who doesn't share her last name but goes by the handle @itskarlabb — alleged that the restaurant's chef, Luke Sung, belittled her during an interaction. "I'm still shaking and I feel so frazzled, but I just left a restaurant collaboration crying," the creator said in the viral video, which has racked up some 22 million views to date. Since the video went viral, Karla's follower count shot up to over 400,000 – but before, she said, she only had 15,000. During a collaboration with the restaurant, Karla said Sung – who also co-owns Kis Café – approached her and asked who she was. When he pulled up her account, the chef allegedly scoffed at Karla's perceived lack of influence. "This guy pulls up my TikTok and says that I have 15,000 followers," Karla recounted in the video. "He was saying that I have too [few] followers and that this was a mistake." "It seemed like he was insinuating that my followers would not be able to afford to eat at this restaurant." "He goes on to say that my audience and my followers are not the kind of people that are going to be at his restaurant," she continued. "It seemed like he was insinuating that my followers would not be able to afford to eat at this restaurant." Sung also allegedly asked Karla if she knew who he was and bragged that his daughter had 600,000 followers on social media. In response, Karla said she "turned red" and left the restaurant. Her video prompted outrage, with tens of thousands of users directing criticism at Kis Café. "Well, he was right about one thing: Your followers are not going to be eating at his restaurant," one user said. Another wrote, "I can't believe follower counts are the new currency for respect. Like, we're human beings." "We want to create a space that's welcoming and respectful." While announcing its closure on Instagram, the Kis Café called Sung's behavior "unacceptable." "That behavior does not reflect the remainder of our team. We want to create a space that's welcoming and respectful to everyone," the post said. "In this instance, we failed to do so." It went on, "We are closing soon and restructuring after these events. In the meantime, we hope to still be able to sustain the livelihoods of our team members and their families." Sung also shared a statement on the Kis Café Instagram page, writing that it was "important" to apologize and step away from the business. "I was condescending, hurtful and intimidating." "Karla – I am truly sorry for my actions towards you," Sung wrote. "I was condescending, hurtful and intimidating." He went on, "You did not deserve to be made to feel less than or unimportant. Nobody does. Regardless, I thank you for teaching me a valuable lesson in kindness and respect. There are no excuses to be made." Sung added that his behavior "should not be a reflection on anyone else who works there, or anyone who is related to me." Fox News Digital reached out to Sung, Kis Café, and Karla for additional comment.
Express Tribune
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Chef apologises after influencer clash shuts down San Francisco restaurant
San Francisco chef Luke Sung has issued a public apology following a viral incident that led to the closure of Kis Cafe. The controversy erupted after a TikTok influencer, known as @ItsKarlaBB, accused Sung of insulting her during a visit to the restaurant for a planned promotional dinner. In her emotional video, which has now amassed more than 20 million views, the influencer claimed Sung dismissed her content and mocked her follower count, which stood at 15,000 at the time. She said the chef told her that her audience wasn't the kind of clientele he wanted at his restaurant and suggested they wouldn't be able to afford the food. Since the incident, her follower count has skyrocketed to over 350,000. @itskarlabb its a long video and not something i would normally upload but i feel like i had to talk about this experience. i basically ran out of there but i wish i would've stood up for myself. if you are a micro influencer i know it's easy to feel discouraged at times but don't let anyone make you feel small or unimportant!! ♬ original sound - itskarlabb The influencer also said Sung scrolled briefly through her page before declaring that her videos weren't good enough to represent Kis Cafe. He allegedly boasted about his own accolades, mentioning a James Beard award, and brought up his daughter's social media following, saying she had 600,000 followers, far more than Karla. 'He basically told me I wasn't on her level,' she said in the video. Sung's apology, posted on Kis Cafe's Instagram, admitted that he had been 'condescending, hurtful, and intimidating.' He added that he had apologised privately to Karla before stepping away from the restaurant completely. 'There are no excuses. I've decided to step away from Kis Cafe permanently,' he wrote. Kis Cafe, which opened just a few months ago, confirmed Sung was no longer associated with the restaurant. On Saturday, it announced its permanent closure, thanking the local community for its support. Yelp and Google have since been flooded with one-star reviews for both Kis Cafe and Sung's previous restaurant, Isa.
Sky News AU
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Sky News AU
‘Embarrassing': U.S. restaurant co-owner loses job after humiliating influencer and refusing to give her free meal
An American chef has been fired from a recently opened San Francisco restaurant after refusing to give an influencer a free meal and 'embarrassing' her. Karla, known online as @itskarlabb, had organized a collaboration with Kis Café in which she would make a video and the restaurant would give her a free dinner. Karla said she was left in tears following the exchange with co-owner Luke Sung. Picture: supplied. However, the evening took a sudden turn when co-owner Luke Sung demanded the restaurant host show him Karla's TikTok account, according to a video posted to the site by the influencer. Karla, who had 15k followers at the time, said the man was questioning why Karla was chosen for a collaboration. '[Sung] was saying that I have too little followers and that this was a mistake,' she said. 'This is all happening in front of me, and they know that I can hear them. 'At this point I am turning red because I am so embarrassed and I feel really disrespected.' @itskarlabb its a long video and not something i would normally upload but i feel like i had to talk about this experience. i basically ran out of there but i wish i would've stood up for myself. if you are a micro influencer i know it's easy to feel discouraged at times but don't let anyone make you feel small or unimportant!! ♬ original sound - itskarlabb Karla said Sung approached her soon after, and she was left 'shaking' and in tears following the exchange. 'He says to me that he doesn't think my videos are at the level at which he wants his restaurant to be represented,' she said. 'He goes on to say that my audience and my followers are not the kind of people that are going to be at his restaurant.' Karla left the restaurant crying and didn't wish to continue the collaboration, saying she felt 'disrespected.' Her video has been viewed more than 20 million times, and in a statement to social media, the restaurant announced Sung would not be continuing at the company. The restaurant announced in a social media statement Luke Sung had been let go from the position. Picture: supplied 'He is no longer part of the team as a co-owner, a chef or in any other way,' it read. 'That behaviour does not reflect the remainder of our team. We want to create a space that's welcoming and respectful to everyone. 'In this instance, we failed to do so.' Another co-owner of Sung's, who chose to remain anonymous, said the restaurant is figuring out its next steps. 'When we're ready, we will restart differently, separate from chef,' they told NBC Bay Area. Karla has gained more than 100k followers since her video went viral. Picture: TikTok 'This way my staff can also continue their livelihoods.' Since Karla's video was posted, she has amassed more than 373k followers on TikTok - and said she will continue to be a voice for 'micro' influencers. 'You don't need to have a million followers to be respected or feel like you're making a difference,' she said. 'I love spotlighting small businesses and I want to continue to do that and have fun.'
New York Post
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Cooked: Celebrated Chef exits new venture after allegedly balking at free food for influencer because she wasn't famous enough
A prominent San Francisco chef threw in the apron at his newly opened cafe after allegedly belittling a TikTok influencer during a tense exchange over her follower count aired out in a viral video. 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.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Viral post claims an influencer left a restaurant crying. Now the California establishment has temporarily closed amid backlash
A Bay Area restaurant has temporarily closed its doors after a dispute between its award-winning chef and a food influencer ended with the woman leaving in tears and the cook being out of a job. Chef Luke Sung opened Kis Cafe along Hayes Street in San Francisco in April alongside partner Eric Lin. Three months on, a press release from the restaurant announced that Sung has left the business and that it would be 'closing soon and restructuring after these events.' 'Our chef's behavior was unacceptable and he is no longer part of the team as a co-owner, a chef, or in any other way,' the restaurant wrote in a statement on Instagram on Thursday evening. 'That behavior does not reflect the remainder of our team. We want to create a space that's welcoming and respectful to everyone. In this instance, we failed to do so.' Seemingly part of a publicity push, the restaurant reportedly partnered with a self-described micro-influencer known only as Karla, offering free meals in exchange for a TikTok post. In a video posted Tuesday under her handle @itskarlabb, the woman claimed that Sung dismissed her because her 15,000 followers weren't enough to represent his establishment. 'He was saying I had too little followers,' Karla recalled overhearing while sitting at the bar, awaiting her husband. 'I am turning red because I am so embarrassed, and I feel really disrespected.' After introducing himself, the TikToker alleged Sung insinuated that her followers couldn't afford to dine out at his restaurant. 'He goes on to say that my audience and my followers are not the kind of people that are going to be at his restaurant,' she continued. 'Do you know who I am?' said Sung, a two-time James Beard nominee, according to the influencer. Sung allegedly criticised the quality of Karla's videos and made insulting remarks before she agreed to leave. 'At this point I'm crying, and I want to get out, so I tell him that I'm no longer interested in doing the collab',' the influencer said. 'I tell him that I felt disrespected because they were talking about me right in front of me and belittling my work.' Reflecting on the incident, Karla called the collaboration a 'mistake.' Kis Cafe said that Sung had reached out to the influencer to apologise, and since posting a video about the exchange this week, she has gained more than 185,000 followers. On Thursday, the woman posted an update to her TikTok account, saying she woke up to a wave of new followers and supportive messages. 'I woke up today to the most supportive and kind and genuine and encouraging comments and messages,' she said. 'I could not be more grateful and shocked at how much empathy you guys have toward basically a stranger on the internet.' Since the incident, Kis Cafe's Yelp rating has dropped to below two stars, while Google Reviews has temporarily disabled its review section. Solve the daily Crossword
