Blogger's demand for free meals sparks outrage online
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A young food blogger who demanded that he and his three companions be given free meals at an upscale restaurant in the Joo Chiat area has sparked a huge furore online.
The group of four had walked into Private Affairs, a small but exclusive eatery in Joo Chiat, for its Sunday champagne brunch promotion that costs S$68++ per person.
The blogger in question, Brad Lau, who runs a food blog called Ladyironchef, had informed the management on Friday that he would be coming down to review the Sunday Brunch promotion.
On the day itself, he and his partner came down at about 1.30pm, followed by his two other companions, each of whom came down half an hour apart.
The four of them had brunch until 4.30pm, even when the restaurant’s official brunch hours was from 11.30 am to 3.30pm. Brad and his partner also enjoyed two glasses of champagne each.
When presented with the final bill of $435, the blogger initially refused to pay and repeatedly told the restaurant’s chef, “I never pay for food in any restaurant.”
The restaurant eventually offered to waive off the cost of the meal for him and his partner as well as the cost of the champagne out of goodwill, thus lowering the bill to $159.
Still upset but finally relenting to pay, the blogger then threw his credit card onto the bar counter in front of the cashier before storming out.
Private Affairs’ operations director Ross Valentine, 38, confirmed the incident to Yahoo! Singapore.
He said, “This blogger looked very aggressive and was quite arrogant. The fact that he also walked in with his friends at staggered timings created quite a bit of problems for my chef de cuisine, who has to prepare and present his food at just the right times.”
“We decided to waive off the meal and champagne cost for him and his partner out of goodwill. But when we asked him when the review of the meal would be coming out, he said he was not obliged to write anything if the food wasn’t good enough,” he added.
Yahoo! Singapore emailed Brad Lau for his reaction but has yet to receive a reply.
The incident, however, has enraged the local food blogging community.
Glenn Lee, who runs popular food blog Hungryepicurean.com since late last year, posted an open letter criticising the blogger’s behaviour for “tarnishing the good name of the community.”
Lee, 22, told Yahoo! Singapore, “We are food bloggers and I’m pretty sure the intentions of all of us in the community is to share the love that we have for food and writing.”
“But what this certain blogger has done is highly detrimental to the integrity of the community as a whole and I felt the need to stand up for what I strongly believe in,” he said.
Kaelyn Ong, 22, who posted an entry entitled ”STOP asking for free food” on her food blog, My Food Sirens II, also expressed her disgust.
“I’m surprised. It’s beyond my understanding how someone can actually request for a free meal on the house just because he’s a food blogger,” she told Yahoo! Singapore.
“Anyone can be a food blogger these days, all it takes is a camera and a blog… does that mean restaurants have to sponsor everyone for their meals?” she added.
She also apologised to restaurants on behalf of the food blogging community and said ”not all of us are such bad eggs”.
Renowned food expert KF Seetoh, who runs the popular makansutra.com, said the blogger in question lost his integrity by refusing to pay.
“The best position is to be invisible, pay for your own food. When you pay for your own food, you don’t take any prisoners when you write,” he said.
But what if the restaurant offers to give bloggers a free meal?
“Then I won’t write about your restaurant. Even if they offer me 50% off the total bill, and if I write about it, they will take my review with a 50% pinch of salt. Some of them, after eating, they call the chef out and ask him to change this and that on the menu. Some would then say, let me do a consultancy role for you. You do what I say and I write nice things.
“My stand is, be neutral. I pay, I say and then I rate,” he concluded.http://sg.yfittopostblog.com/2010/08/23/food-blogger-who-asks-for-free-meal-sparks-outrage-online/
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Jerk... I despise him >____>
See him no up >____>
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brad who ? ....
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His blog has been suspended. However you can view the cached version.
His photo also happens to be there.
My guess is that someone impersonated him, but only the credit card details would verify the authencity of the blogger in question.
No food blogger how popular should never demand things for free. You eat, you pay.
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it does sound incredible ......
if I were the restaurant manager I'd just go "who ? " and call the police ......
lots of arrogant young twats call themselves food bloggers nowadays after signing up for a blogspot account and posting up a few food pics.
To me there's only one food blog, and that's ieat's.
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so gotta wait for updates whether is someone impersonate this brad lau anot...
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If the restaurant is forthcoming with showing a copy of the credit card receipt, then you'll know its really brad lau or not. Anyway, his pic is in the cached site, so if the restaurant can say no thats not the guy, its probably an impersonator.
ladyironchef is quite a popular blog, doubt the guy will stoop that low.
Damn, I should start calling myself Janice Wong.
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Some people gain a bit of fame then want to hao lian liao.
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http://twitter.com/ladyironchef
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His blog is down...
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Originally posted by kopiosatu:
http://twitter.com/ladyironchef
According to his twitter records, he did visit the restaurant yesterday!
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Originally posted by ditzy:
If the restaurant is forthcoming with showing a copy of the credit card receipt, then you'll know its really brad lau or not. Anyway, his pic is in the cached site, so if the restaurant can say no thats not the guy, its probably an impersonator.
ladyironchef is quite a popular blog, doubt the guy will stoop that low.
Damn, I should start calling myself Janice Wong.
is it ? ....
how old is he ? he looks like a poly kid with a camera .....
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Originally posted by ditzy:
If the restaurant is forthcoming with showing a copy of the credit card receipt, then you'll know its really brad lau or not. Anyway, his pic is in the cached site, so if the restaurant can say no thats not the guy, its probably an impersonator.
ladyironchef is quite a popular blog, doubt the guy will stoop that low.
Damn, I should start calling myself Janice Wong.
Actually, that's the same guy in the photos on Twitter and HGW. He tweeted about his late brunch and super-late dessert, and the photos match the decor of Private Affairs.
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Originally posted by ditzy:
According to his twitter records, he did visit the restaurant yesterday!
If it's really him then I presume the other resturant tat was "persuaded" to provide free meals will come forward also ba...Sometimes all it takes is someone to make the first step... The others will follow shortly...
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So now everyone's a food critic ?
Just because one can write and eat.. doesn't make one a critic.. demand free food some more. lol
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Imagine how many restaurants held ransom just so they would not receive a lousy review.
This guy also think he very tua pai, call to inform management that he's coming down for a meal. How many of you bloggers do that? Admit it!
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From his Twitter account.....
Arrows point to the relevant tweets.
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Well, quite a few this kind of bloggers come down to my pad to "review" before
But so far none as lampa as this person. lol
U can see it at kennysia.com xD
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Time to "spark outrage" ppls !
OUTRAGE !!
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Well, it all looks bad for him.
He had really better come out and give his side of the story, and it had better be a really good story, because otherwise, all the evidence points to this fella being truly guilty.
One can say that he was being framed, but his own tweets place him at that restaurant having a late Sunday brunch yesterday. That in itself is not ironclad evidence, but it does not make him look any more innocent.
Also, it's one thing to have some unconfirmed rumours going around, but to have Yahoo! Singapore pick up the story and confirm it with the restaurant.... that's not good.
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call the police.not paying for food is as good as stealing food from a supermarket!
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that guy must be from malaysia
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hopefully this will encourage the restaurants not to bend over backwards for any fucker with a digital camera and blog.
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thick skinned n shamless...it speaks volumezs...how can anyone got face not to pay for food in front of so many diners in restaurant??!!
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There are food review for magazine and if they are main stream critics than it is all pre-arranged. It would not be "a buffet" Typically it would be introducing top of the line dish, presentation, etc.....plenty to focus on.
Also it won't be just eat.....i always think that there are note to take and picture to be taken.