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

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

That same day, the blogger posted his experience at the restaurant, stating that he had expected to enjoy some decent exotic cuisine for 710 yuan, but ended up feeling deeply depressed after the meal. At the beginning of the video, the blogger declared that if he didn't write a diss or criticize the restaurant for this experience, he would delete his account and quit. At the end of the video, he even created a rap song to express his feelings about the visit.

Restaurant Response

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

When brought back by the server, the man claimed that because nobody reminded him to pay, he had forgotten and walked out openly, with no intention of dining and dashing. To this explanation, the restaurant stated that paying for meals is a natural obligation that doesn't require reminders. This surveillance video immediately sparked heated discussion among netizens.

Apology and Resolution

Due to the intense reaction, the man immediately 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 resources with this incident. Regarding the forgotten payment, he had already contacted the restaurant owner through local police to mediate the matter, and both parties had resolved the misunderstanding through police communication.

Regarding the food quality issues, he stated these only represented his personal taste. He also admitted that his review was 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. He then added "The innocent will prove themselves innocent" to his profile picture.

The Rise of Store-Exploring Bloggers

In this digital age, many consumers rely on "store exploration guides" and "store exploration videos" on social media platforms to either get interested in businesses or avoid bad experiences. This has made the profession of store-exploring blogger extremely popular. However, with the rapid increase in store-exploring bloggers, multiple industries are facing more potential risks.

Originally, store-exploring bloggers and businesses maintained a mutually beneficial relationship. But at some point, chaos began to occur frequently, with more bloggers operating in gray areas. On one hand, there are those who accept money for false advertising; on the other hand, there are those who flaunt their "influencer" status, demanding free meals or even promotion fees from businesses under the guise of "helping promote" them, threatening to post negative reviews if their demands aren't met.

Some internet celebrities don't present themselves as store explorers but occupy store space for extended periods after minimal or no consumption, taking photos that affect other customers' experiences. If businesses refuse or try to stop them, they face threats of negative reviews.

Previously, Coffee Workshop reported on a Shanghai coffee shop whose minimalist design attracted many internet celebrities and e-commerce models. These individuals would often buy just one cup of coffee and occupy the public space for half a day, even using restrooms to change clothes and touch up makeup, seriously affecting other customers' experience.

As this situation escalated, the coffee shop owner finally couldn't bear it anymore and posted "warning signs" in various corners of the shop: "We've told you not to change clothes here for Taobao photos, but you still do it. For 26 yuan, you can take photos for half a day with an iced Americano. 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's WeChat, pay for it, okay? Come take photos after paying, okay?"

Impact on the Restaurant Industry

This situation has become increasingly serious in the restaurant industry. Running a restaurant business is difficult nowadays, and many new restaurants and coffee shops regularly use "internet celebrity store exploration" as a marketing strategy. Based on different time periods, they invite bloggers with significant social media followings to promote their brand products or activities, releasing positive store exploration content in batches and at different times to attract customer traffic.

This traffic attraction doesn't just bring regular consumers. Once businesses gain some popularity, many internet celebrities with ulterior motives arrive and engage in activities that damage the business's reputation.

Store exploration and business promotion, as commercial activities, have market value, and charging fees is reasonable in itself. However, the premise should be truthful information and mutual consent. The current situation is not just a matter of individual integrity; some businesses and platforms also share responsibility.

Shared Responsibility

The "indulgence" and "compromise" from businesses have made these individuals more audacious. When businesses collaborate with bloggers or internet celebrities for exaggerated product promotion and share the profits, it emboldens these people to exaggerate further. When faced with "threats," businesses choose to compromise out of concern that negative comments will damage their brand reputation.

Although businesses are often victims, if they can report to the police and collect evidence when threatened, or refuse to participate 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 behaviors such as sensationalism, false advertising, and malicious defamation by some store-exploring or celebrity users. This is an important factor that has allowed internet celebrities and store-exploring bloggers to become so audacious.

Call to Action

As consumers, when using relevant platforms and discovering users engaging in the above behaviors, you can report them promptly. As businesses, you should maintain basic integrity in promotion and, when necessary, contact the police for investigation. As platforms, you should strengthen the establishment of reasonable and effective mechanisms to regulate such users.

Nowadays, more and more young people are joining the store-exploring/blogger 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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