What happened at Kis Cafe San Francisco? Chef controversy explained as owner steps down post clash with influencer

A San Francisco-based restaurant, Kis Cafe, has found itself in hot water after a recent clash with a TikTok influencer. Taking to their official Instagram account on Thursday, July 24, 2025, the newly opened eatery shared a statement noting their head chef and co-owner, Luke Sung, was no "longer part of the team."

It all began when TikToker @itskarlabb shared a post alleging that Sung treated her disrespectfully ahead of a collaboration. Notably, he reportedly told her that her TikTok following of 15,000 was not good enough to represent the three-month-old Hayes Valley restaurant.

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by @kiscafesf

Calling Sung's behavior "unacceptable," Kis Cafe's statement continued:

"He is no longer part of the team as a co-owner, a chef or in any other way."

Further, the post noted that he had reached out to the content creator and apologized.

"We are closing soon and restructuring after these events"—Kis Cafe issues apology

On Wednesday, self-described micro influencer and TikToker @itskarlabb shared a video detailing her interaction with a chef. She was set to collaborate with a restaurant to promote its food on her account. Notably, she did not name Kis Cafe or chef Luke Sung.

She arrived at the eatery a little after 5:00 pm, but was reportedly berated for her meager following on social media.

The chef began going through her profile and suggested her audience was not the target demographic going to the restaurant. Referencing the incident, she explained:

"He is not having it, saying to the host that he shouldn’t have invited me and that this was a mistake and that this was bad."

Alleging that the chef told her videos were not high quality, the food blogger continued:

"I am turning red because I am so embarrassed and I feel really disrespected."

At one point, the chef even rhetorically asked her if she knew who he was. He went on to state his daughter had 600,000 followers, and she was not "at that level."

Noting that at this point she wanted to "get out," the TikToker told the chef she was no longer interested in the collab and left the restaurant in tears.

While she did not name Sung or the restaurant, the food blogger did admit people online seemed to have "figured it out."

Her post has since gone viral, with over 9.3 million views and 800,000 likes. Netizens have also taken to leaving poor reviews on Yelp and Google in support of the content creator.

Here are some of the reviews on Yelp:

"Rude, Elitist, and Cheap; All in One Glass," one wrote.

"People are human. My follower count should not determine where I can and can't eat. Fix the 'tude."

Yelp has locked Kis Cafe’s profile due to “unusual activity," disabling any further reviews.

In light of the backlash, Kis Cafe issued a statement about letting go of chef Luke Sung.

Noting that Sung's behavior did not reflect on the rest of the eatery, they acknowledged that they "failed" to create a welcoming and respectful space. The message continued:

"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."

The restaurant also urged people to resort to hate speech towards the team and their loved ones out of frustration and anger.

In a statement given to The San Francisco Standard, Kis Cafe co-owner Eric Lin noted that the statement was intended to protect the eatery's staff and his friends. He explained that the backlash from the incident has led to them being "harassed on Instagram."

According to KRON4, the negative reviews have spilled beyond Kis Cafe. Some people have taken to leaving comments on Chef Luke Sung's previous restaurant, including Isa Restaurant.

In light of the development, the eatery added a comment on its Google profile reading:

"Isa is not affiliated with Luke Sung or Kis Cafe. Luke left Isa in 2009 and since never been back."

Meanwhile, in a subsequent update, TikToker @itskarlabb explained she woke up to several kind messages and new followers on the platform. She expressed her gratitude for their support.