What did Chef Luke Sung say in his public apology? Kis Cafe controversy leads to permanent closure

The Kis Cafe controversy has now taken a new turn, as the cafe has issued a public apology on the chef's behalf on Sunday, July 27, 2025, via their social media page. In the apology, they mentioned that the Chef, Luke Sung, will no longer be affiliated with the restaurant as a chef or a co-owner.

The apology reads:

''I was condescending, hurtful, and intimidating. You did not deserve to feel less than or unimportant, nobody does. Regardless, I thank you for teaching me a valuable lesson in kindness and respect.''

He added:

''I also want to be clear the responsibility of this whole situation is mine alone, and my behaviour should not be a reflection of anyone else who works there, or anyone who is related to me. I truly care about my staff and am devastated that my actions have impacted both them and their families.''

In the same statement, he also apologized to his daughter. He said:

''The last person I want to apologize to is my daughter Isabelle. I am sorry I put you in this position, and am ashamed that you had to be the one to own up for my mistake. To Karla, my kids, and everyone else in the hospitality industry, I hope you will accept my apology and thank you for taking the time to listen to me.''

More about the controversy related to Kis Cafe

Kis Cafe had opened just earlier this year in May, and its permanent closure was announced on Sunday, July 27, 2025.

The controversy began when a local TikTok influencer, Karla, was invited to the cafe on a collaboration basis. At the time, she had only 15,000 followers.

She alleged that Sung dismissed her follower count, claimed her content didn’t meet his standards, and questioned whether her audience could afford the food. This exchange had left her crying and led her to cancel the collaboration. She had then posted about the incident on social media, which received wide attention and backlash.

The influencer had shared a video on her social media, where she explained the whole incident that took place at the Kis Cafe. In the video, she said she heard two men talking about her:

''He was saying that I have too little followers, and that this was a mistake.''

Later in the video, Karla talks about how her account and followers were perceived at the restaurant Kis Cafe:

"After scrolling, like, two times, he says to me that he doesn’t think my videos are at the level at which he wants his restaurant represented. He goes on to say that my audience and my followers are not the kind of people that are going to be at his restaurant. It seemed like he was insinuating that my followers would not be able to afford to eat at this restaurant."

The controversy exposed how poor treatment of creative influencers and judgments based on follower count can backfire in the digital age.

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