Fake NYC Food Influencer Goes Missing '45 Minutes' Around Bill Time, Arrested for Persistent Evasion

Several restaurants in New York have fallen victim to a high-end social media influencer who visits their establishments in luxury attire but evades the bill. The social media foodie fraudster, identified as Pei Chung, has faced theft-of-services charges for her ploy, according to authorities.

Fake Food Influencer Offers Other Option To Pay Restaurant Bill

Pei Chung, 34, gets her way easily into high-end eateries, including Michelin-star restaurants in Brooklyn, because of the way she presents herself. She would arrive wearing luxury items from Prada, Louis Vuitton, and Hermes, and pretend to be a food influencer, complete with a camera and lighting set-up.

She would flaunt her dining experience to her thousands of followers on social media. However, behind the scenes, she couldn't pay for her food, so at one point she hid in the restroom for '45 minutes' and reportedly offered the manager at Peter Luger sexual favours to pay for the steak she ordered, according to the New York Post.

The manager, however, declined the offer and told her they would call the police. Chung left the eatery in handcuffs.

Chung has been arrested five times for her ruse, which reportedly started in late October.

Dine-And-Dasher's Series of Deception In Brooklyn Eateries

Chung has deceived several high-end restaurants in New York. The first reported sighting was her visit to Francie on 22 October. According to the authorities, she enjoyed a $15 foie gras, a $32 carpaccio, a $28 bucatini, a $52 lamb, and a $19 hot chocolate mousse.

John Winterman, owner of Francie, said instead of paying the bill, Chung offered to 'trade pictures and a blog post for the meal.' Winterman, however, declined, telling her they should have agreed on that before her visit. Also, the restaurant hasn't done it, so they ordered her to pay the bill.

All of Chung's cards were declined, and she told them she was waiting for her family to send her money. She reportedly returned several times for more food, but Francie denied her service due to her unsettled check.

She returned on 7 November and refused to pay her $83.83 bill. So, Francie called the police, and she was arrested.

Chung also visited Peter Luger five days following her first visit to Francie. She arrived at the steak house on 27 October around 6:45 p.m. and ordered a total of $146 for her meal.

She went missing for nearly an hour to avoid her bill. And when they found her in the restroom, she offered the manager to pay her check in other ways, but she received a 'No.'

On 11 November, Chung visited Motorino Pizza and did not pay her $135 bill.

'She's going into established restaurants dressed to the nines, racking up hundreds of dollars in food, defrauding them, then posting on Instagram like the restaurant hired her,' one source close to Meadowsweet, a new American restaurant in Williamsburg, which was allegedly among Chung's victims, told The Post.

The insider added that 'All her cards were declined' when it was time to pay for her meals, leaving them surprised.

'Our team was confused – shocked. She was so self-assured and brazen about it,' the source continued.

Social Media Influencers Are Not Food Critics

There have been multiple reports of restaurants being at odds with social media influencers. Food influencer Fahmida also faces backlash for enjoying a complimentary dinner at Chef Papa without leaving a review for the family-owned restaurant, as agreed.

Chef Papa reached out to her multiple times, but she kept ignoring them. So, the restaurant shared the experience on Instagram to warn other eateries that work with influencers for marketing.

Following the post, many called Fahmida a 'scammer.' She responded by giving the restaurant a '1.2/10' rating, saying, 'the quality of the food and service was far below what we typically encounter.' She also claimed she didn't give them a review as it might impact their business.

Many were not convinced, though, because she left the restaurant satisfied with the experience and only gave the poor rating after she was called out.

Several online users warned restaurants to stay away from social media influencers who could take advantage of them; after all, they are not legit food critics.