Chef apologises after TikToker clash shuts down San Francisco restaurant
Photo: TikTok/Instagram
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.