Ignorant food influencer scams family owned business out of hundreds and then tells her followers not to eat there after getting called out

TikTok is a great place for food related content, it’s full of food influencers sharing great recipes or places to eat so it’s no wonder such a specific sub-genre has really taken off on the platform. However, for every good food influencer, there’s a bad one to keep the equilibrium.

For an example of a good food influencer then look no further than SamsPOV a content creator who shines a spotlight on small family-run businesses while also making sure to pay them generously whenever he visits. On the other hand you have someone like Fahmida Medes, an example of a bad influencer and the subject of a lot of hate on TikTok as of late.

Fahmida Medes is an influencer whose content revolves around a variety of things, one of those things being food. However, few would call her a “food influencer” per se, most seem content with simply brandishing her as a scammer.

What did this TikTok influencer do?

Her new title isn’t entirely unjustified as the victims of her recent scam have called her out on TikTok. John, “the owner and son of Chef Papa Vietnamese kitchen,” posted a video explaining how Medes scammed his family owned restaurant. He claims that the influencer reached out to them with queries regarding an opportunity to collaborate.

Fahmida explained that in exchange for a comped meal she would film and record her experience and share it with her followers. The visit was quickly organized for that very night with Fahmida showing up and ordering $200 worth of food which John explains was comped. For all that food she left a $6 tip.

After a month with no post about their restaurant, John and his family tried contacting Fahmida, they were met with radio silence. John made the post not just as a call out but to spread awareness, it seems all Fahmida was looking for was a free meal which sadly isn’t entirely uncommon for food influencers.

The restaurant review

Following John’s call out video, Fahmida was suddenly able to produce the promised video, however, her review was less than glowing. She stated that the service was terrible and so was the food, claiming it left her feeling unwell.

While John concedes it was a “valid” review and that she is entitled to her opinion, he couldn’t help but notice the timing of this video. It came out after his initial video on the matter which kind of makes it seem like she gave a bad review out of spite, but whose to say?

John responded to her video telling her she could have spoken to the servers at the time had she truly had such a bad experience. The vast majority of TikTok have sided with John and his business, accusing Fahmida of scamming them out of $200 while also trashing their business.