Getty Stock Images A Bay Area food influencer recounted an alleged aggressive experience she claims happened during a visit to a local wine bar. In her now-viral video shared on Wednesday, July 23, a TikToker called Karla — known by her handle@itskarlabb— started recording herself after she said she "just left a restaurant collaboration crying." She went on to allege that shortly after her arrival at the Hayes Valley neighborhood food spot, she heard the host and another person talking nearby, and she realized they were talking about her. The host and his co-worker, who later revealed himself to be the chef, allegedly started discussing Karla's profile and prominence on social media. She said the chef opened her TikTok and was displeased by the fact that she only had 15,000 at the time. (@itskarlabb's follower count has since skyrocketed to over 220,000 since she shared the story.) "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," Karla continued in her TikTok, noting that they still weren't addressing her, but she believed they knew she could hear, considering the tight space inside the restaurant. Once she finally made an introduction with the chef, Karla alleged that their interaction became hostile immediately, despite her expressed excitement about their collaboration. "He says, 'Did you do any research on this restaurant? Do you know what we do? Do you know who we are?'" Karla recalled. Though the wine bar is still "really new," she told the chef what she was able to find out ahead of the visit. After allegedly accusing Karla of failing to thoroughly research the wine bar, she said he looked her up on TikTok and watched some of her content at "full volume" in the restaurant. She claimed he then told her that her videos are not "at the level at which he wants his restaurant to be represented," Karla said in her recent post. She also said that the man — who she said claimed to be a "James Beard Award recipient or finalist" — told her that her audience and followers "are not the kind of people that are going to be at his restaurant." Getty Despite the fact that Karla never named the restaurant or the man she encountered, TikTok users were quick to figure out the details in the comments. San Francisco's Kis Cafe confirmed suspicions bysharing a statement on Instagramon Thursday, July 24. The post also verified multiple guesses that the chef was two-time James Beard nominee Luke Sung. "Our chef's behavior was unacceptable and he is no longer part of the team as a co-owner, a chef or in any other way. As of this post, he (Luke) has reached out to the creator with a personal apology," Kis Cafe's statement began. "That behavior 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." The post continued to note that the restaurant would be "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 team concluded. "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." Kis Cafe did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for further comment. The TikTok video — which now has over 13 million views and 1.2 million likes — also caught the attention of some major influencers, who shared words of support for Karla. "I'm so sorry queen. He spoke it into existence tho! We your audience will never ever be dining at Kis Cafe," wroteCall Her DaddyhostAlex Cooper.Tana Mongeauvoiced her shock, commenting, "Oh my god????" Karla shared afollow-up videoto thank her many supporters and express her intention to continue creating Bay Area food content. Her second TikTok caught the attention of even more digital celebrities, likeTrisha Paytas. "Thankful it popped up on my fyp cause ur content is soooo good. Immediate follow 🥰🥰🥰," the new mom wrote. Read the original article onPeople
