Latest news with #itskarlabb
News.com.au
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Chef fired after making ‘micro' influencer cry over follower count
A 'prominent' US chef who refused to give an influencer a free meal because she didn't have enough followers, resulting in her leaving the venue in floods of tears, has reportedly lost his job. Luke Sung has stepped away from the recently opened Kis Cafe in San Francisco after he made a 'micro' food vlogger known as @itskarlabb cry. The furore began when Karla visited the restaurant on Wednesday as part of a prearranged partnership with the cafe's team which would see her get a free meal in exchange for a video. After showing up early to film content, Karla claimed that a man – later identified as the celebrated chef and co-owner – questioned her 15,000-follower count and told staff it was a 'mistake' to invite an influencer so small. Karla said the clash was 'extremely belittling' and as a result, she left the Kis Cafe in tears, later taking to TikTok to share her experience. Her video has since clocked up over 20 million views to date, sparking an avalanche of outrage against Sung, and reportedly seen him walk away from the venture. His co-owner, who has asked not to be identified due to countless phone and online threats, told NBC Bay Area the cafe was 'temporarily closed' as it figured out its next steps. 'When we're ready, we will restart differently, separate from chef,' the co-owner told the local outlet. 'This way my staff can also continue their livelihoods.' The restaurant, which only opened in May, also blasted Sung's alleged behaviour, labelling it 'unacceptable' in a statement shared on social media. '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.' Karla, who now has almost 370,000 followers following the furore, said she had overheard the chef discrediting her work while she was sat waiting for her husband to arrive. 'He was saying I had too little followers,' Karla recalled in her video. 'I am turning red because I am so embarrassed, and I feel really disrespected.' The influencer said that when she introduced herself, Sung grilled her over whether she had researched the wine bar. She insisted she knew the menu and the vibe, but said Sung disagreed and began scrolling through her TikTok feed at full volume within earshot. '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.' 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.' Since skyrocketing to viral fame, Karla 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 explained. The fallout for Kis Cafe has been huge, as social media users rushed to support Karla by flooding it with negative reviews. 'Well, he was right about one thing, your followers are not going to be eating at his restaurant,' one joked. 'Love how badly this has gone for them,' said another.
Hindustan Times
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Why was Kis Cafe closed? San Francisco eatery's top chef fired after leaving TikToker in tears
A San Francisco restaurant was temporarily shut down after a TikTok influencer posted a video describing an interaction at the eatery that left her distressed. The co-founding chef of the restaurant was also fired. Why was Kis Cafe closed? San Francisco eatery's top chef fired after leaving TikToker in tears (Unsplash - representational image) A video taken at Kis Cafe went viral. The restaurant's other owner told NBC Bay Area that they plan to reopen the cafe with a new chef later. The eatery first opened earlier this summer, and is located in San Francisco's Hayes Valley neighborhood. "When we're ready, we will restart differently, separate from chef," the co-owner said. "This way my staff can also continue their livelihoods." The individual, who did not want to be named, stressed that he responded as promptly as possible after seeing the video featuring an interaction between his executive chef and the local TikTok influencer, itskarlabb. What does the video show? The five-minute long video shows an exchange between Executive Chef Luke Sung and the influencer, with the latter being left in tears. Initially, the TikToker described overhearing a conversation between the chef and a host, who had set up her visit. "This guy pulls up my TikTok and says that I have 15,000 followers, and some videos have millions of views, whatever, and this guy is not happy about it," she said in the post. She said that the chef approached her and had a direct conversation about her social media profile. "After scrolling like two times, 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 in the post. The restaurants issued an apology within two days and confirmed that Sung was not working with them anymore. Meanwhile, some neighbors said that they had planned to check the place out. "The menu looked decent, it seemed like a more approachable restaurant than the previous one that was in there. So, I was eager to try it," Brian Rohde said. Jacinth, another neighbor, said, "It's unfortunate that social media has turned to a state where you can type something, it can go viral from people who have no context of the situation, and ruin somebody's career." Meanwhile, the co-owner said he might now have to rename the restaurant and relaunch it. While he understands this will be challenging, he is ready to try and make it work, as are the rest of his staff. "I don't want to quit yet," he said. "This is my American dream. It's also my staff's."
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Top chef fired for making influencer cry by telling her she wasn't famous enough for free food
A TikTok 'micro influencer' got a top San Francisco chef fired after saying she was left in tears by the restauranteur's refusal to give her free food because she wasn't famous. Food influencer itskarlabb said she was left 'shaking' after being invited to a collaboration with Bay Area wine bar Kis Cafe, where she expected to receive a free meal for her and her husband in exchange for a promotion video on her channel. But the creator said that after arriving at the restaurant, award-winning chef Luke Sung questioned why she had been invited. He allegedly 'disrespected' her for only having 15,000 followers and said she was 'not at the level' needed to represent his restaurant. In response, itskarlabb said she aims to be an 'advocate for micro influencers,' and argued: 'You don't need to have a million followers to be respected or feel like you're making a difference.' Although she did not name Sung or Kis Cafe in her video, fans of the creator quickly figured out where it was after the TikTok received over 10 million views. She said the confrontation made her leave the eatery in tears, and accused Sung of insinuating that her modest following meant that her fans likely could not afford to eat there anyway. Days after the TikTok went viral, Kis Cafe said on Instagram that Sung's 'behavior was unacceptable' and said he was 'no longer part of the team as a co-owner, a chef or in any other way'. The restaurant said it was temporarily closing down in response to the backlash to 'restructure after these events'. 'In the meantime, we hope to still be able to sustain the livelihoods of our team members and their families,' the restaurant said. 'Lastly, we understand the frustration and anger, but please do not use this lapse in our values as an opportunity to foment racism and hate speech towards us and our loved ones.' After sharing her viral TikTok, itskarlabb saw her following shoot up from 15,000 to over 215,000 followers. The self-described 'micro influencer' said in her clip that she was invited to the restaurant by Kis Cafe, and showed texts on screen where she told the eatery she was 'excited to highlight your amazing restaurant and share with my audience'. She said that after arriving and filming the inside, she was sat at the bar before hearing the host and chef arguing behind the counter, feet away from her. The chef, 'is asking the host who I am, why I'm here, and how many followers I have on TikTok', she recalled, and after seeing her modest following, 'is not happy about it.' 'He was saying that I have too little followers and that this is a mistake,' she added. She added that he then searched up her Instagram to find she had just over 1000 followers on that platform, and began berating the host for inviting her at all. She said he 'disrespected' her by bringing up her TikTok and playing her videos in front of her, telling her that her videos are 'not at the level' that he had hoped. 'He goes on to tell me that my followers are not the kind of people that are going to be at his restaurant,' she added. 'It seemed like he was insinuating that my followers would not be able to afford to eat at this restaurant.' The restaurant does not have a website, however according to food review site Yelp, it serves dishes including Tom Yum and spicy beef, both for $18.99. She said the chef then brought up that he was a James Beard Award winning chef and asked her, 'do you know who I am', to which she said she didn't. 'At this point, I'm crying,' she said. 'So, I tell him that I'm no longer interested in doing the collab, and that I felt disrespected... and he tells me that he was offended because I didn't introduce myself to him.' 'I want to be an advocate for micro influencers,' she said. 'You don't need to have a million followers to be respected or feel like you're making a difference. 'I love spotlighting small businesses.' The establishment has since been hit with a flurry of one-star ratings on Yelp, as part of a phenomenon known as 'review bombing'. A notice on the restaurant's page says Yelp is, 'being monitored by Yelp's Support team forrelated to media reports
