The drama began whenTikTok 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. She arrived early and overhear a man, later identified as Kis Cafe co-owner Luke Sung, allegedly mocked a her follower count before a collaboration.

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.

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.

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. He also name-dropped his daughter, TikTokinfluencer Isa Sung, who boasts over 600,000 followers.

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

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.

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.”

Sung broke his silence in a lengthystatement 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.”