A James Beard Award-nominated chef has exited his restaurant venture following a public fallout with a TikTok influencer he allegedly belittled for having too few followers.
The encounter, which unfolded at Kis Cafe in Hayes Valley, San Francisco, went viral after the influencer shared her experience on TikTok, sparking outrage among netizens.
Highlights
- A San Francisco chef allegedly mocked a TikTok influencer’s follower count before a collaboration.
- The incident led to public backlash, a plummeting Yelp score, and the chef’s exit from the business.
- The influencer has since gained over 350,000 new followers, and the chef has extended a lengthy apology, owning up to the incident.
The chef has since left Kis Cafe, before issuing a public apology that takes ownership of the embarrassing incident.
TikTok influencer says she was mocked for not having enough social media followers
Image credits: itskarlabb / TikTok
The drama began when TikTok creator Karla (@itskarlabb), who had around 15,000 followers at the time, arrived at Kis Cafe for what she stated was a pre-arranged collaboration.
According to her viral post, which now has over 20 million views, she arrived early to film content, only to overhear a man, later identified as Kis Cafe co-owner and acclaimed chef Luke Sung, openly discussing her follower count with staff.
Image credits: Carlos Avila Gonzalez / Getty Images
“I know they’re talking about me, because I can hear them saying ‘TikTok, views, followers,’” Karla said.
When she introduced herself, the chef allegedly interrogated her about whether she’d researched the restaurant, and then pulled up her TikTok page in front of her, playing her videos aloud, according to a New York Post report.
Image credits: KTVU FOX 2 San Francisco / YouTube
After scrolling through a few clips, Sung allegedly told her that her videos weren’t at the level he wanted his restaurant to be represented by. He reportedly also dismissed Karla’s cooking videos as too “homey.”
“It seemed like he was insinuating that my followers would not be able to afford to eat at this restaurant,” Karla said in her viral video.
Image credits: itskarlabb / TikTok
The exchange escalated when Sung reportedly asked, “Do you know who I am?” before revealing his accolades as a two-time James Beard Award finalist.
Image credits: itskarlabb / TikTok
Karla stated that the entire ordeal left her in tears and prompted her to withdraw from the planned partnership.
"I told him I felt disrespected and didn’t want to collaborate anymore," she said.
The TikTok backlash forced the restaurant to respond and restructure
Karla’s video went viral, and the backlash came swiftly. Kis Cafe’s Yelp rating nosedived from over four stars to just above two, and online reviews began calling out Sung directly.
Even Isa, the chef’s influencer daughter, was unexpectedly pulled into the controversy. Commenters also review-bombed Sung’s earlier restaurant, Isa, which was named after her.
Image credits: KTVU FOX 2 San Francisco / YouTube
Amid the firestorm, Karla’s own platform exploded. Her follower count ballooned from 15,000 to more than 380,000 in just a few days.
In subsequent videos, she clarified that she just wanted to use her story to spotlight how micro-influencers are often undervalued.
“You don’t need to have a million followers to be respected or feel like you’re making a difference,” she said.
Kis Cafe announced that Chef Sung had left the company amid the backlash
Kis Cafe later posted a statement announcing that Sung was no longer involved in the business, and that the restaurant was temporarily closed to “restructure.”
While emphasizing that Sung left of his own accord, the business also acknowledged that “our chef’s behavior was unacceptable, and he is no longer a part of the team.”
Netizens were quite appreciative of Kis Cafe’s apology, though some still noted that everyone involved could have done better.
“That's a five-star apology. Accepts responsibility, acknowledges what he did, recognizes the impact, commits to being better,” one commenter wrote on Reddit.
“Multiple things can be true. The chef was an as*hole and there’s no excuse for his behavior. The reaction and consequences (e.g. review bombing) were way out of proportion for what happened,” another wrote.
“Seeing a full-chested apology is so rare that I'll take it. He even apologized to her first! I'd never heard of this chef before, but I'm gonna seek him out once he has a new place. Everybody, and I mean everybody, f*cks up sometimes. It's how we handle it that counts,” another wrote.
Chef Sung took ownership of the entire fiasco in a public apology on social media
Sung broke his silence in a lengthy statement on Kis Cafe's official Instagram page, taking “full responsibility” for his actions and addressing Karla directly.
“I am truly sorry for my actions towards you,” he wrote, directly addressing Karla. “I was condescending, hurtful, and intimidating. You did not deserve to be made to feel less than or unimportant, nobody does.”
Image credits: KTVU FOX 2 San Francisco / YouTube
Sung said he initially apologized privately to Karla and had already stepped away from the restaurant in all capacities before posting publicly, according to a KRON4 report.
He stressed that the incident was entirely his fault and urged the public not to blame his staff or his daughter, who he said had worked hard to build her own career.
Image credits: itskarlabb / TikTok
“There are no excuses to be made, and I’ve decided it’s time for me to step away from Kis Cafe permanently and in all capacities.
“I also want to be clear, the responsibility of this whole situation is mine alone, and my behavior should not be a reflection on anyone else who works there, or anyone who is related to me,” Chef Sung wrote.
Chef Sung issued a public apology of his own after stepping down
Image credits: itskarlabb / TikTok
The chef also offered a heartfelt apology to his daughter, expressing regret for putting her in the crosshairs of angry netizens.
“All I have ever wanted to do is give you the opportunity to create a better life for yourself than the one I grew up with, and I’ve failed you in the worst way.
“I came to this country to give all of my kids the best chance to work hard toward their goals, and now I’ve given the public nothing but a reason to tear them down for my actions.
“I am sorry for disrespecting all of your efforts and hard work to build your careers."
Image credits: KTVU FOX 2 San Francisco / YouTube
“To Karla, my kids, and everyone else in the hospitality industry, I hope you will accept my apology and thank you for taking the time to listen to me,” Chef Sung wrote.
Netizens shared their thoughts on the Kis Cafe controversy on social media
