Restaurant shuts down after chef insults TikTok influencer, prompting outrage: 'Still shaking'
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.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Entrepreneur
22 minutes ago
- Entrepreneur
Sweet Loren's TikTok Name Error Led to Viral Success, Sales
On Friday, Sweet Loren's finally got access to change its name back from what it has been this past week: "Ryan." Gluten-free cookie dough brand, Sweet Loren's, has gone viral before (both Kylie Jenner and Glen Powell have touted the sweet treats), but this week, the brand achieved incredible viral success — and by total mistake. While trying to update her personal TikTok name, the company's new social media manager, Ryan Weitz, accidentally changed Sweet Loren's TikTok name to her own — "Ryan." She says she immediately tried to change it back, only to find out she would be unable to do so for seven days. "So I don't get in trouble, please make this follower count go up," she says. Related: This Is What a $300 Million TikTok Strategy Looks Like After telling her boss, the duo decided to do what any good social media manager would do — make a TikTok about it. One week and 42 videos later, Sweet Loren's is still enjoying viral success, with more than 2.2 million views so far. The company has gained 10,000 followers in the last week, and website-based sales increased 46%, the social media team told PRWeek. "TikTok is a place where you can have a little fun, so we decided to lean into it and create content around the moment," Weitz told the outlet. "I was pushed to really go for it, be unafraid, and it's paid off." Sweet Loren's finally got the ability to change its name back on Friday (though it still has yet to do so). Join top CEOs, founders and operators at the Level Up conference to unlock strategies for scaling your business, boosting revenue and building sustainable success. Related: Want to Go Viral? 3 Strategies to Make Your Next Campaign Go Viral
USA Today
22 minutes ago
- USA Today
Emma Heming Willis was 'panicked' by husband Bruce Willis' dementia diagnosis
Emma Heming Willis is opening up about her private world with husband Bruce Willis. The advocate and model, 47, is getting candid in an upcoming interview with Diane Sawyer about the 70-year-old "Die Hard" actor's dementia diagnosis and how the family is handling it all. "I was so panicked, and I just remember hearing it and just not hearing anything else," Heming Willis told Sawyer in a teaser clip released Wednesday, Aug. 13. The actress' interview with Sawyer is set to air in full during the ABC special "Emma & Bruce Willis: The Unexpected Journey" on Tuesday, Aug. 26, at 8 p.m. ET. The legendary actor retired after being diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia in 2023. Earlier this year, after the death of Oscar winner Gene Hackman and his wife and caregiver Betsy Arakawa, Heming Willis wrote in a vulnerable Instagram caption that "caregivers need care too. Period. Full stop. #supportcaregivers." On Father's Day, Heming Willis spoke out about what their "unexpected journey" looks like for her family. In an Instagram post on Sunday, June 15, she wished a happy Father's Day "to all the dads living with disability or disease, showing up in the ways they can and to the children who show up for them." She added that Willis teaches their children "resilience, unconditional love, and the quiet strength in simply being present." The couple share two daughters: Mabel, 13, and Evelyn, 11. The actor also has three adult daughters with his ex-wife and Oscar nominee Demi Moore: Rumer, 36; Scout, 34; and Tallulah, 31. But Heming Willis also shared that she was feeling "profoundly sad today," reflecting, "I wish, with every cell in my body, that things could be different for him and lighter for our family." She said the phrase "it is what it is" helps her "return to the acceptance of what is and not fight this every step of the way like I used to." On March 21, the couple celebrated their 16th wedding anniversary: "Today marks 16 years with the love of a lifetime," Heming Willis wrote in a heartfelt Instagram caption. "We've shared monumental highs and devastating lows, and through it all, we've built something timeless," Heming Willis wrote. "I'm so deeply grateful for every chapter I've had with him—and all the ones we'll continue to write, in our language of unconditional love."
Buzz Feed
an hour ago
- Buzz Feed
Hawaiian Woman Response To Chief Of War Language Complaints
Earlier this month, Chief of War premiered on Apple TV+ and completely blew me away. The historical drama focuses on the unification of the Hawaiian islands, mainly from the point of view of Kaʻiana (played by Jason Momoa). As a Polynesian woman, I grew emotional seeing Hawaiian history and culture represented on screen. And so well done, too! From the cinematography to the acting to the costumes, you can feel how much love and care went into the making of this show. Since Chief of War is Jason's longtime passion project, I wouldn't expect anything less! And to hear all the actors speaking ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi (the Hawaiian language) — goosebumps! I never in a million years imagined we'd get a show like this on a major streaming platform in a Pasifika language. What a powerful decision to kick off the series in the language these historical figures actually spoke, one with a complicated history that's being revitalized today. As of the time of writing, Apple TV+ has released three episodes, with more English in the most recent episode due to the historical events explored in the show. So, imagine my surprise when I came across quite a few social media posts criticizing Chief of War for not being in English. Some people were apparently annoyed about reading subtitles, with this X (formerly Twitter) user writing, "What morons make a show for an American audience and put it in a completely foreign language. If I wanted to read, it would be a book." Note: The image of Jason Momoa in the original tweet was replaced here due to photo rights. As more and more of these complaints made the rounds online, some Kānaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian) social media users began pushing back against this terrible take. One such person was Lily Hiʻilani Okimura, a 27-year-old substitute teacher and content creator. In a video posted to TikTok, she criticized the above tweet and explained some Americans might not be the target audience, but that doesn't mean other cultures don't deserve TV shows in their own language. In another video, she gave her review of the first few episodes and emphasized the importance of ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi in the series, saying, "It is not treated as a background element. It is foundational to the storytelling." To learn more, I reached out to Lily, who was "extremely impressed" by Chief of War. She told BuzzFeed, "After watching the first couple episodes and hearing it completely in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, my jaw was dropped, and I felt as if I was immersed into the world. Of course, the show will eventually transition more into English as the story progresses and events in our history takes place, but having the beginning of this show and whole episodes be set in Hawaiian was amazing. And ESPECIALLY for Apple TV+?! Wouldn't have thought they would've approved. Jason Momoa and [series co-creator] Thomas Paʻa Sibbett must've fought really hard for this!" Lily began learning ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi in 2020 while studying for her MFA in Hawaiian Theatre. Not only does the Hawaiian language in the show give her the opportunity to follow along and practice, but it "just makes sense" due to the plot and setting, she said. Additionally, this "further normalizes and legitimizes ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi to the outside world and for folks who may have only heard a few of the words in our language like 'aloha' and 'mahalo.'" "Hawaiian is a real language, a Polynesian language from the Austronesian language family," she continued. "It was spoken in our lands for generations before colonialism, and we were forced to speak only English. The Hawaiian language ban affected many ʻohana, including my own, where they couldn't speak it at schools or in public in order to assimilate into this new (forced) American way of living. I'm the first in my family to relearn our mother tongue, and I hope to teach it to my future children, enroll them into Hawaiian Immersion school, and that they will be fluent, and they can teach me!" "Having the show in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi also brings cultural authenticity, allowing viewers to experience the story through the same lens and worldview our kūpuna (ancestors) did, instead of filtering it through English for outside convenience. It contributes to language revitalization by making ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi visible and functional in a mainstream setting, inspiring more people to learn and speak it. For fluent speakers and immersion students, hearing the language on screen validates their identity and shows that their voices belong in the global media landscape. Just like Korean, Spanish, or French films, it reminds the world that Hawaiian deserves the SAME respect as any other global language." As far as the backlash goes, Lily thinks the complainers are "extremely uncultured and need to get out more." She continued, "There are English subtitles! Can these people not read or what?" before pointing out several examples of other languages in pop culture, from anime to Star Trek's Spock speaking Klingon to Parasite, which won the Oscar for Best Picture in 2020. "We share this planet with billions of people, coming from different backgrounds and cultures and lived experiences. How boring would it be to only experience and consume art and media that only reflects one narrow worldview? Art, history, and storytelling lose so much richness when they're stripped of the language that shaped them. ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi isn't just a translation option; it's the lens, the rhythm, and the worldview of our people. English was forced here through colonization, and for decades, speaking Hawaiian was punished. Choosing to tell a Hawaiian story in Hawaiian is a deliberate act of resistance and cultural restoration. Complaining about that because it's 'inconvenient' for you isn't just lazy — it's participating in the same erasure that tried to kill our language in the first place." Lily hopes that Chief of War will open the door to more TV shows and movies diving into Hawaiian history and mythology, especially in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi. "Thus, more opportunities for Kānaka Maoli to tell our stories! More, new, and fresh faces! Maybe an actual TV and film industry here in the islands that's Hawaiian-centered." "E ola ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi! The Hawaiian language shall live!" she concluded. To learn more about Kānaka Maoli culture and issues, be sure to follow Lily on TikTok and Instagram! And you can watch Chief of War on Apple TV+ here.
