Who is Karla? All about food influencer as her fallout with chef Luke Sung led to the closure of Kis Cafe

Karla first appeared on the food scene only to become front‑page drama. As a micro‑influencer on TikTok under the handle @itskarlabb, she went into Kis Cafe expecting a friendly collaboration and walked out in tears. That single experience sparked a whirlwind: viral backlash, a now‑famous social video, and the announcement that Kis Cafe would close and restructure after parting ways with chef Luke Sung.

This is Karla’s story, a taste of how quickly the tables can turn in dining and digital worlds when a food influencer meets a chef who underestimates her reach.
 

Who is Karla and what makes her a food influencer

Karla (a.k.a. @itskarlabb) began as a small TikTok creator, posting food clips and honest restaurant content with around 15,000 followers. She calls herself a “micro‑influencer”—a niche storyteller sharing meals, moments, and reviews in short, earnest TikTok videos. Her viral moment wasn’t planned, but it turned her into a creator with well over 150,000 new followers almost overnight.

Her content focuses on real‑time reactions, behind‑the‑scenes snippets, and casual commentary—no overproduced stylings, just candid voiceovers and honest takes. After posting a five‑minute recounting of her experience at Kis Cafe, fans resonated with her humility and frustration. One quote she shared:

“I basically ran out of there … I felt really disrespected”.

That authenticity, combined with the backlash event, made her momentarily powerful: by the next day, she had dozens of times the followers she came in with, turning a “micro” influencer into a macro influencer in real time.
 

The fallout with chef Luke Sung and Kis Cafe closing

And then came the fallout. Kis Cafe — a new Hayes Valley wine‑bar that opened in May with chef and co‑owner Luke Sung at the helm — confirmed that Sung had behaved “unacceptably” and was no longer part of the team in any capacity (his Instagram statement said as much). The restaurant announced it will close “soon and restructure,” as a result, stressing their commitment to staff and a respectful atmosphere.

What triggered it all? According to Karla’s video, Sung allegedly told staff and Karla herself that her 15,000 followers weren’t enough—that her audience wasn’t the type that could dine at Kis Cafe. He reportedly played her TikTok loudly in front of the bar and compared her to his daughter, who has around 600,000 followers, saying she wasn’t “at that level”. When she began to tear up, she declined the collab and left.

After the video went viral, reaching over 9 million views in some reports, the café’s ratings plunged to as low as one star on Google, and Yelp temporarily hid their review page due to a flood of “unusual activity”. The damage was swift and real.

In their public statement, Kis Cafe stressed they would remain open briefly while restructuring, and had asked people not to target staff or loved ones with hate messages. Co‑owner Eric Lin told reporters that negative messages had been landing in voicemail for staff, and that it hurt to see their team take the fall for one person’s actions.