A New York-based influencer went viral on TikTok after alleging that a restaurant server threatened to kick her out because she used silverware to eat her burger.
Winta Zesu (@winta_zesu) posted the video, which had more than 9.2 million views as of Wednesday afternoon. In it, she documented her exchange with the server—whose face is never shown.
Zesu has posted a number of staged videos from New York-based restaurants, leaving some viewers to question her post’s authenticity. An equal number of viewers, however, said that they wholly believed her latest claim.
@winta_zesu Tired of nyc resturants and their crazy rules #nycrestaurants #serviceindustry #nyburger ♬ original sound – Winta Zesu
The nearly one-minute video started with a voice reading the on-screen text overlay. “She tried to kick me out because I used silverware for the burger,” it said. The video then jumped straight into the back-and-forth between the influencer and an off-camera server.
“You have to eat your burger with your hands,” the server said. “That’s part of the rules here.”
“That’s not my problem,” Zesu responded. She said that she normally eats a burger with a fork and knife.
The server then asked the influencer to leave, but Zesu refused. “Unfortunately, I’m not going to leave,” she said. “I’m going to stay because I’ve never heard of that rule before.”
In a second, follow-up TikTok, Zesu said the restaurant swapped out her burger for a salad.
@winta_zesu I just wanted a burger 😔 #serviceindustry #nycburger #burgertok ♬ Cruel Summer – Taylor Swift
Commenters said that they could not believe what they were seeing.
“Eating a burger with silverware is insane, but them kick[ing] you out for that is even more insane,” one user said.
“If it’s a rule, why give her silverware in the first place!?” another asked.
“I would’ve been like ‘show me the rule in the rule book,’” a third quipped.
But the encounter might have been staged. According to an April article from Insider, Zesu specializes in content that parodies “stereotypical influencers.” The article referenced a past video in which she feigned dismay at the positioning of a poached egg on a brunch plate.
Zesu told Insider that she wasn’t expecting her brunch video to go viral. “I really didn’t think people were going to think it was real,” she said.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Zesu via email.
