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The San Francisco chef who got fired for telling a TikToker she was not famous enough to eat for free at his restaurant has lost everything.
Recently, Luke Sung was revealed to be the chef at Kis Cafe who turned away ‘micro influencer’ @itskarlabb from a restaurant event due to her insufficient follower count.
Not only was Sung fired over the incident, but now the restaurant has announced its permanent closure due to the ongoing drama and public backlash.
The events unfolded when Karla Marcotte shared a TikTok about her experience at Kis Cafe. She expressed feeling ‘shaken’ after being invited for a collaboration with the Bay Area wine bar.
Marcotte anticipated being offered a complimentary meal for herself and her husband in return for creating a video about the eatery on her channel, which had 15,000 followers at that moment.
However, after arriving at the restaurant, award–winning chef Sung questioned why Marcotte had been invited.
In the video, which now has over 21 million views, Marcotte began, ‘I just left a restaurant collaboration crying.’
She explained that she had a TikTok collaboration with the new restaurant, located in Hayes Valley, that she was ‘really excited for.’

Luke Sung was outed last week as the chef at Kis Cafe who turned ‘micro influencer’ @itskarlabb away from an event at the restaurant because she didn’t have enough followers

It all started when Karla Marcotte (pictured) posted a TikTok detailing her visit to Kis Cafe. She said she was left ‘shaking’ after being invited to a collaboration with the Bay Area wine bar

According to Marcotte (pictured), she expected to receive a free meal for her and her husband in exchange for posting a video about the restaurant on her channel – which, at the time, had 15,000 followers
Marcotte arrived alone, as her husband was meeting her there later, and she spoke with the host before beginning to film around the restaurant.
However, when she took her seat, she overheard a conversation between Sung and the host in which the chef was dissing her follower count, according to Marcotte.
‘He is not having it,’ Marcotte said – describing how the chef slammed the host for inviting her to the restaurant.
‘This is Kis Cafe in Hayes Valley SF. The owner is Luke Sung. He also founded the restaurant Isa. Both restaurants named after his influencer kids, Isa Sung and Sunkis,’ a TikTok commented on Marcotte’s post.
Once Sung and Marcotte were introduced, he confronted her about not having enough followers, and said her audience is not the kind of people he wants at his restaurant, which Marcotte interpreted to mean that he doesn’t think her fans could afford to eat there.
Sung then began to brag about his own accolades, and flexed his daughter’s follower count – saying that Marcotte is not ‘at that level.’
After her husband arrived, he and Marcotte left without eating at the restaurant, and she went on to post the TikTok – without specifically naming the restaurant or the chef.
However, TikTok sleuths were quickly able to figure out that the restaurant in question was Kis Cafe, and that chef was Sung.

TikTok sleuths were quickly able to figure out that the restaurant in question was Kis Cafe, and that chef was Sung

The TikToker said that Sung insinuated that her followers could not afford to eat at the restaurant, which serves dishes priced around $19, according to online reviews

In the aftermath of her viral video, Yelp and Google reviews of Kis Cafe and Sung’s former restaurant Isa have been flooded with one–star ratings.
Multiple celebrities commented on Marcotte’s video in support of the micro influencer.
‘I’m so sorry queen. He spoke it into existence tho! We your audience will never ever be dining at Kis Cafe,’ Alex Cooper of the Call Her Daddy podcast commented.
‘Love how badly this has gone for them,’ wrote actress Jameela Jamil.
On Sunday, Sung issued a public apology. ‘Hi everyone – I am Luke Sung (previous chef of Kis Cafe).
‘It was important for me to first apologize to Karla privately and step away from Kis Cafe before publicly apologizing.’
‘Karla – I am truly sorry for my actions towards you. I was condescending, hurtful, and intimidating. You did not deserve to be made feel less then or unimportant,’ he wrote.
The apology was posted on the Kis Cafe Instagram account, because Sung has no public social media pages. Though, the restaurant specified in the caption that he is ‘no longer affiliated with the restaurant in any way or a co–owner.’
‘I also want to be clear the responsibility of this whole situation is mine alone and my behavior should not be a reflection on anyone else who works there, or anyone who is related to me,’ Sung wrote. ‘I truly care about my staff and am devastated that my actions have impacted both them and their families.’

Days after the TikTok went viral, his retaurant 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’


Sung also addressed his staff and family – especially his daughter, who he dragged into the situation by touting her follower count.
‘I am sorry I put you in this position,’ he wrote. ‘I’ve failed you in the worst way.’
On Saturday, Kis Cafe announced it had been ‘a pleasure serving our neighbors and community,’ but that ‘tonight is our last night.’
The restaurant has closed, permanently.
Daily Mail has contacted Sung and Marcotte for comment.