A 34-year-old Brooklyn woman has been arrested five times since late October for allegedly skipping out on restaurant bills across New York City while pretending to be a food influencer.
Pei Chung, who is of Taiwanese origin, showed up at high-end establishments wearing Prada heels, Louis Vuitton handbags, and Hermes belts. She brought professional camera and lighting equipment. She has more than 16,000 Instagram followers.
Michelin-Star Restaurants Among Targets
Chung lives in a luxury waterfront high-rise at 416 Kent Ave in Williamsburg. She hit some of the city’s most prestigious dining spots, including the Michelin-starred European brasserie Francie and the famous Peter Luger steakhouse.
“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,” said a source close to Meadowsweet, a new American restaurant in Williamsburg that was allegedly among Chung’s victims.
The source said all of Chung’s cards were declined when it came time to pay. “Our team was confused — shocked. She was so self-assured and brazen about it,” the source added. The source compared her behaviour to the “Bling Ring,” an infamous group of fame-obsessed robbers who targeted celebrity homes in California nearly two decades ago.
First Arrest at Francie
On 22 Oct 2025, Chung visited Francie and ordered $188 (~S$244) worth of food. Her meal included $15 (~S$19) foie gras, $32 (~S$42) carpaccio, $28 (~S$36) bucatini, $52 (~S$68) lamb, and $19 (~S$25) hot chocolate mousse.
John Winterman, a co-owner at Francie, told the New York Post that Chung wanted to trade pictures and a blog post for the meal. “I said, ‘That would be something we would have to agree upon before, and we haven’t done that, so I need you to pay the check,'” he said.
When Chung’s cards were declined, she claimed she was waiting for money from her family. She later returned to the restaurant several times for more food but was refused service over her unpaid tab.
Chung came back to Francie on 7 Nov 2025, just after 7:30pm, and ordered $83.83 (~S$109) worth of food. She again refused to pay.
Police were called and arrested her at the bar on theft-of-services charges. “Police officers showed up. Two cars and four cops – they looked at her and said, ‘Oh yeah. That’s her. We know her,'” Winterman said.
Officers read Chung her rights, handcuffed her at the bar, and escorted her out in front of Francie’s well-heeled customers. “It was the most New York moment ever,” Winterman said of the nonplussed diners, who appeared more worried about their $148 (~S$192) dry-aged duck getting cold than the accused foodie’s antics.
“There were a couple of comments – no one took a picture,” he said. “They just started eating and drinking again.”
Just a day earlier on 6 Nov 2025, Chung had visited the nearby Lavender Lake restaurant on Broadway in Williamsburg, where cocktails start at $16 (~S$21). She allegedly racked up a $97 (~S$126) bill and left without paying.
Bathroom Hideout at Peter Luger
Chung also visited Peter Luger on 27 Oct 2025 around 6:45pm and ran up a $146 (~S$190) tab she refused to pay, police said.
Jeckson Leonardo, a manager at Peter Luger, told the New York Post that Chung went missing for 45 minutes around bill time. Staff found her hiding in the restroom.
When she came out to pay the check, she allegedly asked the waiter if he’d like to take care of her bill and she’d pay him back “in a different way and not cash.”
“She said, ‘Is there anything else I can do for you because I don’t want to pay this check,'” Leonardo said. He alleged Chung tried to pay for her steak with sexual favours.
“We told her we’re going to call the police,” the manager said. “Her hands were so tiny the cop had to put their fingers inside the handcuffs to escort her out,” Leonardo added.
Blog Posts Painted Different Picture
Despite the arrests, Chung painted a completely different picture on her blog and Instagram.
“Each slice reveals a deep rose center under a caramelized crust — a balance of char and tenderness perfected over decades,” Chung wrote in a post about her Peter Luger steak. “The fat melts like silk, carrying the essence of oak and iron from the grill.”
She posted photos of dishes such as Colorado lamb from Francie and marbled meat from Peter Luger to her followers, presenting herself as if the restaurants had hired her as an influencer.
