‘Doing the influencer thing’: New York woman arrested seven times after what she offered restaurants instead of payment

Pei-Yun Chung is a woman from Williamsburg who has been building up huge restaurant bills and offering Instagram posts instead of paying. She has now been arrested seven times for misdemeanor theft of services since late October. 

This is completely wild. The police said that Chung, who is 35 years old, does not seem to have any plans to stop her alleged dine-and-dash streak. She even got arrested twice on a Saturday right after her court hearing on Friday.

According to New York Times, she regularly posted photos on Instagram of expensive meals at Michelin Star restaurants. In many cases she left without paying her bill. Restaurant owners have explained how Chung arrives “dressed to the nines” and takes high-quality photos of her food.

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Restaurant owners have explained how Chung arrives “dressed to the nines” and takes high-quality photos of her food. Then she tries to make a deal using her social media presence when the bill comes. This is terrible for the small businesses she is targeting. This situation mirrors other cases where influencers demanded free meals from owners.

At Motorino Pizza in Brooklyn, the owner watched as Chung stayed for four hours. She documented a massive meal that included two pizzas, oven-roasted chicken wings, octopus and potato salad, two lattes, and tiramisù. She even packed up the leftovers and wrapped the to-go bag in a silk Burberry scarf. The owner said she was “doing the influencer thing.”

The size of the alleged theft is shocking, as she has hit multiple high-end and popular restaurants near her luxury apartment. Since October 22, she has been charged after refusing to pay for meals at places like Sea Thai Brooklyn, Mole Mexican Bar and Grill, Lavender Lake, and the Italian restaurant Misi. At Misi, a host said she “just left” after eating at the bar.

She also allegedly walked out on two separate meals at the Michelin-starred restaurant Francie. At Francie, she took photos and posted about the “herbaceous, bold, harmonious” Colorado lamb. She said the plating “echoes fine art.” You would think someone who enjoys the food that much would want to pay for it.

At Peter Luger, a manager even claimed that Chung tried to offer a sexual favor to cover the cost of her meal. That is a serious jump in behavior.

Chung creates a very glamorous, luxury image online. Her Instagram page is filled with photos where she poses in Prada heels or holds an orange Hermès shopping bag. She lives in a luxury apartment building in Williamsburg and tags brands like Dior and Cartier. The reckless behavior shown by some social media personalities has led to serious consequences, like when an influencer’s drunken tattoo became a nightmare.

It is hard to understand how she is paying for any of this, especially since her last posted job was in March 2023. She lists herself as “semi retired” on LinkedIn. Before this scandal, she had a solid background. She earned a master’s degree in fine arts and attended Pratt University on a full-ride merit scholarship after moving to New York around 2019.