‘Dine and sprint’ satan wears Prada as she ‘strikes once more’ at Michelin-star restaurant
Pei Chung, 34, has been accused of racking up huge bills at Michelin-starred restaurants in New York and leaving without paying, according to NYPD police reports
A woman posing as a food influencer stands accused of swindling top-tier restaurants by dining and dashing at least 10 times, including eight times in just one month.
Pei Chung, 34, regularly parades her designer attire and extravagant meals to her 23,000 Instagram followers. Despite the opulence she portrays, she’s been charged with running up hefty tabs at Michelin-starred establishments in New York and absconding without settling the bill.
Rather than cash, Chung has allegedly proposed to cover the bill with favourable social media posts, as per police reports. The self-proclaimed Taiwanese 34-year-old has reportedly been apprehended at least 10 times since late October for ‘theft of services’. She is believed to have targeted Peter Luger, Francie and Meadowsweet in Williamsburg, New York. She is accused of dining and dashing eight times in just one month.
A judge scolded accused serial dine-and-dash diva Chung on Wednesday as she repeatedly interrupted Judge Orville Reynolds during her Brooklyn criminal court hearing. “When I speak you don’t speak! Understand?!” Judge Reynolds finally snapped.
The Prada-loving influencer, who has posted photos of herself in furs and high-end Louis Vuitton and Hermes accessories, looked dishevelled as she swapped her designer drip for and olive-coloured jail scrubs.
During the hearing, Chung’s lawyer, Henry Dechalus, asked the judge to forbid photography in the courtroom. “Your honor, I have spoken to my client and she feels that it would violate her rights to allow the media to sell images of her,” Dechalus said, reports New York Post.
But the judge allowed photography, citing public interest in the case. She was charged with theft of services and sent to Rikers Island.
An insider revealed: “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.” They further disclosed: “‘All her cards were declined.”
She was alleged to have run up a $188 bill at Francie on October 22 before suggesting a blog post as compensation.
“She wanted to trade pictures and a blog post for the meal,” shared John Winterman, co-owner of Francie. “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 stated.
Winterman revealed that Chung’s card was declined before she claimed she was awaiting funds from her family. The restaurant owner alleged she returned multiple times seeking more food but was turned away until she settled her outstanding bill.
Chung supposedly came back on November 7, racked up an $83.83 food bill and point-blank refused to pay. Officers were summoned and she was reportedly nicked.
Earlier in October, Chung is also alleged to have ordered $146 worth of grub and beverages at Peter Luger, where she declined to settle up and was subsequently arrested.
On Tuesday, November 11, Chung purportedly visited Motorino Pizza and was collared and charged after declining to cough up for a $135 bill.
An NYPD report alleged that on Friday, November 14, Chung ordered roughly $100 worth of food from Italian eatery Misi, before refusing to pay and getting arrested. The following evening, the NYPD say she popped into Sea Thai, ordering $123 worth of food before she was once again arrested.
In her critique of Francie, she penned: “The one-star Michelin restaurant combines architectural precision with soulful hospitality. Warm lighting, brass fixtures, and oak textures create an ambiance that feels both timeless. Dinner here unfolds like a design study: layered, intentional, and deeply personal.'”.
And regarding Peter Luger, she wrote: “Peter Luger Steak House hums with quiet assurance, a Michelin-awarded institution recognized yearly for its enduring excellence.”
