Find out more about Karla and the drama that unfolded between the food influencer and Chef Luke Sung resulting in the closure of the San Francisco based Kis Cafe
Social media platforms are currently flooded with criticism towards Kis Café, after a video of Karla, a TikTok-based food influencer went viral online. Not sure of what we are talking about? Here is everything we know so far about the viral incident!
Who is TikTok influencer Karla as San Francisco’s Kis Cafe fires chef Luke Sung due to controversy drama with her
The fact that this “micro influencer” (who doesn’t even use her full name) didn’t know who Luke Sung was or that he is a James Beard-nominated chef is everything wrong with the influencer industry.https://t.co/7AS4uYHRLV pic.twitter.com/p8TyWOds3i
— 💥Susan Dyer Reynolds🗞️ (@SusanDReynolds) July 25, 2025
As aforesaid, social media users are currently busy criticizing Kis Café and Chef Luke Sung, after a video of TikTok influencer Karla, who goes by the name @itskarlabb on the video-sharing platform, TikTok, went viral across social media platforms.
Though she does not name Kis Cafe in the video, Karla’s fans and supporters determined that the chef referred to in the post was Sung, who earned plaudits and two James Beard nominations in the early 2000s for his pioneering Cal-French restaurant Isa.
The viral video features Karla who posts cooking videos on TikTok going inside the cafe expecting a potential collaboration, however, she walked out in teary eyes. The video sparked a widespread debate and backlash from various users, resulting in Kis Café announcing the firing of Chef and Co-Founder Luke Sung and the restructure of the café.
I usually don’t encourage the downfall of a small business but yeah Kis Cafe can go fuck it self fuck the owner
— Josie Lazalde (@JosieLazalde) July 24, 2025
Following a confrontation with the local food influencer, chef Luke Sung of the 3-month-old Hayes Valley wine bar and restaurant Kis Cafe has stepped down, effective immediately.
According to @itskarlabb’s video, she arrived early for a collaboration as she waited for her husband. Sitting at the bar and awaiting her husband, she overheard the host and another employee discuss who she was and how many online followers she had and “He was saying I had too little followers, and [the collaboration] was a mistake,” she says of the host.
The chef Luke then allegedly asked, “Do you know who I am?” and mentioned that he had been a James Beard nominee” along with claiming Karla’s audience wouldn’t be visiting his restaurant as he played her content loudly in the cafe.
Who is Karla?
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For the curios, Karla, who goes by the name @itskarlabb on TikTok, began her food vlogger career as a small content creator on the clip-sharing platform, when she began posting honest reviews videos. Now the food content creator, who calls herself as a “micro-influencer,” shares story around meals, moments, and reviews, with more than 15,000 followers.
Her content revolves around real-time reactions, BTS snippets, and casual commentary, with honest takes. After the woman posted her 5-minute honest frustration and experience of Kis Café, fans resonated with her humility and annoyance and now they are busy criticizing the café.
After the video went viral, the micro-influencer overnight turned into a macro-influencer and Kis Café released a statement on their Instagram.
What Did Kis Café Say?
In their statement, Kis Café stated that they have parted their ways with their co-owner and Chef Luke Sung. Kis Café, confirmed that the chef Sung behaved “unacceptably,” resulting he is no longer a part of the team.
In their announcement, they also stated that they are closing the Café soon and restructure it. However, they stressed their commitment towards the staff and a respectful environment.
“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 said in an Instagram post.
What Did Luke Sung Say?
Reportedly, Chef Luke Sung had behaved in a bizarre way as he commented that Karla’s 15,000 followers aren’t enough for them to let her in dine at Kis Café. Additionally, he also reportedly made fun of her as he allegedly compared her followers count to his daughter who he claimed had 600,000 followers on TikTok. After the video went viral, the rating of the café plunged on Google and went as low as 1.
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