A San Francisco chef whose restaurant closed down after he was accused of being rude to a TikTok influencer is now speaking out for the first time about the viral controversy.
In an interview with the San Francisco Standard, the former co-owner of Kis Cafe, in Hayes Valley, recounted his disastrous meeting with TikTok influencer Karla Marcotte, who posted a video of her “nightmare SF restaurant experience” on July 23.
In her video, Marcotte said that Luke Sung, a James Beard-nominated chef, criticized her follower count and said it was a “mistake” for the restaurant’s host to invite her to the establishment.
Sung told The Standard that Marcotte came into his restaurant, sat down and didn’t greet him.
“My high expectation for professionalism has failed me again and again — it just brings disappointment,” Sung told The Standard.
Sung said he then started looking through her TikTok page and saw an image of “creamy” spaghetti with “overcooked” steak on top that Marcotte had cooked herself, causing him to doubt her abilities as a food writer.
Sung said that he told Marcotte, “I think there may have been a mistake. I’m not sure if we have the same audience.” He said he also asked if she had researched him and his cafe and what they were trying to do.
According to Sung, Marcotte was offended after he looked through her TikTok page and told her husband, who had just arrived, that they weren’t going to eat at the restaurant. Sung said Marcotte told him,”The restaurant world is really small. There will be consequences.”
In her TikTok video, Marcotte said that Sung asked her if she had done any research into the restaurant and if she knew “who we are.” Marcotte responded that she knew it was a wine bar with small bites that didn’t have a website yet.
According to Marcotte, Sung smirked and said she hasn’t done her research on the restaurant. He also asked for her TikTok and started watching her videos.
“After scrolling 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 video. “He goes on to say my audience and my followers are not the kind of people that are going to be at his restaurant.”
Kis Cafe closed in July after Marcotte’s video went viral on social media, according to the San Francisco Standard. Sung also left as co-owner. It has since reopened under a new name, Bosque, on Aug. 7, under the leadership of Eric Lin, who co-owned Kis Cafe with Sung.
Sung posted an apology on Kis Cafe’s Instagram account on July 27.
“I am truly sorry for my actions towards you,” he wrote. “I was condescending, hurtful and intimidating. 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, and I’ve decided it’s time for me to step away from Kis cafe permanently and in all capacities.”
