Internet Celebrity Tries to Dine and Dash After 710 Yuan Meal! Restaurant Recovers Payment Only to Receive Bad Review??

On July 18, a local food-exploring blogger from Jiangsu province left a restaurant after consuming 710 yuan without paying. A server chased after the man and brought him back to settle the bill.

That same day, the blogger posted about his experience at the restaurant, saying he had expected to enjoy some decent exotic cuisine for 710 yuan but ended up feeling deeply let down. At the start of the video, the blogger declared that if he did not write a takedown or criticize the restaurant over the experience, he would delete his account and quit. At the end, he even wrote a rap song to express how he felt about the visit.

Restaurant Response

In response, on July 22 the restaurant featured in the blog handed surveillance footage to the media. The video showed the blogger and two companions walking straight from a private room toward the elevator. A server immediately chased the man and brought him back to pay. An eyewitness in the footage stated that the man asked his two companions whether they had paid, and after getting a negative answer, he quickly left.

When the server brought him back, the man claimed that because nobody had reminded him to pay, he had forgotten and walked out openly, with no intention of dining and dashing. To this explanation, the restaurant said that paying for a meal is a natural obligation that does not require a reminder. The surveillance video immediately sparked heated discussion among netizens.

Apology and Resolution

Faced with the strong reaction, the man deleted his original restaurant review video on July 22. The next day, he posted a new video identifying himself as the blogger who had been exposed online for dining and dashing. He expressed deep regret for occupying public attention with the incident. As for the forgotten payment, he said he had already contacted the restaurant owner through local police to mediate, and both parties had cleared up the misunderstanding through police communication.

On the food quality issues, he stated these reflected only his personal taste. He also admitted that his review had been targeted and somewhat extreme. As a blogger in the traffic-driven era, he apologized to the restaurant for his inappropriate language and for the impact his comments had on the business, then added "The innocent will prove themselves innocent" to his profile picture.

The Rise of Food-Exploring Bloggers

In this digital age, many consumers rely on "restaurant guides" and "restaurant exploration videos" on social platforms either to discover new places or to avoid bad ones. That has made the food-exploring blogger an extremely popular role. As their numbers swell, however, more and more industries face growing potential risks.

Originally, food bloggers and businesses kept a mutually beneficial relationship. But at some point the chaos became frequent, with more bloggers operating in gray areas. On one side are those who take money for false advertising; on the other are those who flaunt their "influencer" status, demanding free meals or even promotion fees under the guise of "helping promote" a business and threatening negative reviews if their demands are not met.

Some internet celebrities do not present themselves as food explorers but occupy a shop's space for extended periods after minimal or no spending, taking photos that hurt other customers' experience. If a business refuses or tries to stop them, they face threats of negative reviews.

Coffee Workshop previously reported on a Shanghai coffee shop whose minimalist design drew many internet celebrities and e-commerce models. These visitors would often buy a single cup of coffee and occupy the public space for half a day, even using the restroom to change clothes and touch up their makeup, seriously affecting other customers.

As the situation escalated, the owner finally lost patience and posted "warning signs" around the shop: "We've told you not to change clothes here for Taobao photos, but you keep doing it. For 26 yuan you get an iced Americano and photograph for half a day. Other customers and we are all annoyed by you; we're tired of repeating ourselves. If you want to take Taobao photos, add the owner on WeChat and pay for it, then come and shoot."

Impact on the Restaurant Industry

The problem has become increasingly serious in food and beverage. Running a restaurant is hard these days, and many new restaurants and coffee shops regularly use "internet celebrity store exploration" as marketing. Based on different periods, they invite bloggers with large followings to promote their products or events, releasing positive content in batches and at different times to attract traffic.

That traffic does not only bring regular consumers. Once a business gains some popularity, many internet celebrities with ulterior motives arrive and engage in activities that damage its reputation.

Store exploration and business promotion are commercial activities with market value, and charging a fee is reasonable in itself. The premise should be truthful information and mutual consent. What is happening now is not just a matter of individual integrity; some businesses and platforms share responsibility too.

Shared Responsibility

The "indulgence" and "compromise" of businesses have made these individuals bolder. When businesses collaborate with bloggers or internet celebrities on exaggerated promotion and split the profits, it emboldens them to exaggerate further. When facing "threats," businesses choose to compromise out of fear that negative comments will hurt their brand.

Although businesses are often the victims, if they reported to the police and collected evidence when threatened, or refused to take part in deceptive practices that mislead consumers, these individuals might be restrained.

Platforms also fail to properly regulate and supervise their users. They turn a blind eye to unreasonable behavior such as sensationalism, false advertising, and malicious defamation by some food or celebrity users. This is an important reason internet celebrities and food bloggers have become so bold.

Call to Action

As consumers, when you use the relevant platforms and spot users engaging in the behavior above, you can report them promptly. As businesses, you should keep basic integrity in promotion and, when necessary, contact the police for investigation. As platforms, you should strengthen reasonable and effective mechanisms to regulate such users.

Today, more and more young people are joining the food blogging industry. As professionals in the information media field, integrity and ethics are extremely important and fundamental. Some "clever tricks" might yield profit once, but they cannot be a long-term way to make money. Once too many people engage in such practices, the entire industry will eventually disappear, losing the trust of both consumers and businesses.

Image source: Screenshots from Douyin and Weibo

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