San Francisco chef Geoffrey Lee has resigned from his role at three local restaurants including the Michelin Guide-listed Ju-Ni, Handroll Project, and the burger-centric Hamburger Project. The resignation comes after a publicized feud between Lee and local food influencer Kathleen Ensign, known for her account KatfoodSF, who criticized the Hamburger Project in her review, prompting a series of negative social media exchanges from Lee.
According to the Chronicle, Lee reacted to Ensign's description of the smashburgers as "good not great" and her comparison to "Ozempic burgers" with derogatory terms, calling her a "disgusting fangirl" and "annoying Karen" in his messages, a move that has drawn criticism and added fuel to the already ignited situation as reported by the Chronicle. Consequences of the dispute escalated, resulting in a wave of negative comments on the Yelp pages for all three of Lee’s restaurants, of which many brought up Lee's name and his conduct directly.
Meanwhile, Eater SF highlighted Lee's acknowledgment that the choices made were his own, stating, “The opinions and actions I expressed are my own. They are not reflective of the hardworking staff at Hamburger Project, Handroll Project or jū-ni. The staff shouldn’t be punished for how I acted,” in a sentiment he shared via Instagram direct message. Lee has made the decision to set his Instagram account to private as a means to mitigate the ongoing backlash according to Eater SF.
Amidst the controversy, Lee's partner at the restaurants, Tan Truong, extended apologies to Ensign for the inappropriate behavior, which she shared via social media, this apology to the influencer is an attempt to acknowledge the missteps and to promote a more respectful interaction moving forward between the restaurants and the online reviewing community. Indeed, the explosive events have underlined the powerful role that social media and influencer opinions can play in shaping public perception and the fortunes of even well-established culinary ventures, but moreover the importance of subsequent reactions from key people involved with those ventures cannot be overstated. This phenomenon continues to stir debate over the ethics and impacts of influencer culture within the food and beverage industry.
