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.<\/p>\n
The incident unfolded Wednesday at Kis Cafe in Hayes Valley, when \u201cmicro-influencer\u201d @itskarlabb described how she had pre-arranged a collab with the restaurant\u2019s team and showed up early to film content, according to a video she posted to her platform.<\/a><\/p>\n 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<\/p>\n The influencer, known as Karla, claimed that a man \u2014 later identified as celebrated James Beard Award-nominated chef and co-owner Luke Sung \u2014 questioned her 15,000-follower count and told staff it was a \u201cmistake\u201d to invite an influencer so small.<\/p>\n \u201cI know they\u2019re talking about me, because I can hear them saying \u2018TikTok, views, followers\u2019 ,\u201d she said in a later video, which has racked up more than 20 million views.<\/p>\n The influencer said that when she introduced herself, Sung grilled her over whether she had researched the restaurant, a wine bar serving small bites.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter scrolling like, two times, he says to me that he doesn\u2019t think my videos are at the level which he wants his restaurant represented,\u201d she recalled. \u201cIt seemed like he was insinuating that my followers would not be able to afford to eat at this restaurant.\u201d<\/p>\n Sung couldn\u2019t take the heat after the pair\u2019s alleged exchange went viral and left his new venture. San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images<\/p>\n Sung then reportedly asked, \u201cDo you know who I am?\u201d 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.<\/p>\n He also dismissed the influencer\u2019s cooking videos she posted to her platform, dissing them as \u201chomey,\u201d Karla said.<\/p>\n The belittling exchange left her in tears, she said.<\/p>\n \u201cI told him I felt disrespected and didn\u2019t want to collaborate anymore,\u201d the influencer said.<\/p>\n Karla\u2019s follower count has since skyrocketed to more than 350,000 since she shared the story on TikTok.<\/p>\n The influencer said she wants to \u201cbe an advocate for micro influencers\u201d who don\u2019t receive as many handouts.<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t need to have a million followers to be respected or feel like you\u2019re making a difference,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Kis Cafe, which opened in May, announced that Sung had left as chef and co-owner. FOX<\/p>\n By Friday, Kis Cafe\u2019s was getting cooked on Yelp, where its rating plunged from four to five stars to just over two stars, and reviews for \u201cIsa \u201c\u2013 a \u201cpioneering\u201d Cal-French restaurant that Sung previously opened and named after his influencer daughter \u2014 grew with haters lambasting the chef for his behavior.<\/p>\n 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 \u201cown accord\u201d and was not technically fired.<\/p>\n \u201cOur chef\u2019s behavior was unacceptable, and he is no longer a part of the team,\u201d Kis Cafe wrote in an Instagram post<\/a> Thursday.<\/p>\n The restaurant said it has now temporarily closed to \u201crestructure.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe want to create a space that\u2019s welcoming and respectful to everyone. In this instance, we failed to do so,\u201d Kis Cafe said in a statement.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t