Brooklyn dine-and-dash influencer about to be evicted from posh Williamsburg pad by landlord Eliot Spitzer!

"At the heart of every scam is a wish that things were different." — Maria Konnikova, The Confidence Game

Good afternoon.

In a city that runs on hustle, there is a fine line between "ambitious self-starter" and "criminal sociopath." Usually, that line is defined by whether or not you pay for your dinner.

For the past few weeks, the New York hospitality industry has been terrorized not by a health inspector or a Yelp reviewer, but by a 34-year-old woman in Prada heels named Pei Chung.

Chung is the "Dine-and-Dash Diva." She is a "wannabe influencer." She is a tenant of disgraced former Governor Eliot Spitzer (because of course she is). And as of Friday, she is finally a resident of Rikers Island, where the foie gras has been replaced by "Pizza Pockets" and the service is decidedly less attentive.

This story is not just about theft. It is about the terminal phase of the influencer economy, where entitlement has metastasized into grand larceny, and where a woman can convince herself that her mere presence is a form of currency.

THE ANALYSIS: THE GRIFT THAT KEPT ON GIVING

The Modus Operandi

The details of Chung’s spree are breathtaking in their audacity. She didn't just steal a slice of pizza. She targeted the high temples of New York gastronomy.

She hit Francie in Williamsburg—a Michelin-starred brasserie—not once, not twice, but three times. She ate the $15 foie gras. She ate the $52 lamb. She drank the hot chocolate mousse. And when the bill came? She vanished. Or worse, she offered to "collaborate."

This is the grim reality of the modern restaurant business. Owners like John Winterman (of Francie) and Mathieu Palombino (of Motorino) aren't just dealing with rising rent and food costs; they are dealing with a legion of digital beggars who believe their 200 followers constitute a media empire.

Chung brought her own lighting equipment. She staged the photos. She played the part. She truly believed that because she looked the part—Prada heels, Hermès belt, Louis Vuitton bag—the rules of commerce did not apply. It is the "Fake It 'Til You Make It" ethos taken to its logical, criminal extreme.

The Spitzer Connection

You cannot script this better: Chung’s landlord is Eliot Spitzer.

She lives in a $3,350-a-month studio on the Williamsburg waterfront, owes $40,000 in back rent, and is facing eviction next month. The irony is delicious. Spitzer, the "Sheriff of Wall Street" who was taken down by his own lack of impulse control, is now being stiffed by a tenant who lacks impulse control. It is a closed loop of New York dysfunction.

The "Folk Hero" Delusion

One restaurant owner, in a moment of exasperation, told the Post, "It’s only in New York City where someone like this becomes a folk hero."

He’s right, but not in the way he thinks. Chung isn't a hero because she’s noble. She’s a "hero" to the internet because she is the id of the city unleashed. Everyone wants to eat at Peter Luger without paying. Everyone wants to wear Prada without the bill. Chung just had the lack of shame to actually do it.

She is the dark mirror of the American Dream: Consume everything, pay for nothing, and look good doing it.

The Rikers Reality Check

The comedy comes crashing down at arraignment. Bail was set at $4,500. She hasn't posted it.

Now, the woman who complained about the plating at Michelin-starred restaurants is facing the culinary horrors of the NYC Department of Correction. The menu? "Pizza Pockets," "steamed white cabbage," and "chilled peaches."

It is a poetic justice so heavy-handed it feels like bad fiction. The influencer who lived for the aesthetic is now in a place where the only aesthetic is "gray."

The CTA Is Pei Chung a symptom of a broken culture or just a classic grifter? Do you feel sorry for the restaurants, or is there a tiny part of you that respects the hustle? [Confess your sins in the comments]

THE RANT: FAKE BUSINESS!

By The Editor (Channeling the Spirit of the Unhinged)

SHE IS A QUEEN!

I’m sorry, I’m supposed to be mad? I’m supposed to be outraged that a woman in Prada scammed a few steak dinners?

I SALUTE HER.

Pei Chung is the only person in New York City doing real business! And by real business, I mean FAKE BUSINESS!

She walks into Motorino. She orders two pizzas. She orders lattes. She sits there for four hours! And when the bill comes, she looks the waiter in the eye and says, "I’ll make a post."

That is power! That is leverage! She is valuing her "brand" at exactly the cost of two pizzas and a side of appetizers. That is a valuation! That is venture capital!

You think the restaurants are the victims? Please. These restaurants charge $32 for "carpaccio," which is just Italian for "we didn't feel like cooking the meat." They are scamming us every day! They are charging you for tap water and ambiance! Pei Chung just reversed the polarity!

And she brought her own lighting! Do you know how much effort that takes? She is a production company! She is a one-woman studio! She is working harder than the Mayor!

The owner says, "I don't think entitlement is a strong enough word." Oh, cry me a river, pal. You own a brasserie in Williamsburg. You are selling $19 hot chocolate mousse to people who work in marketing for direct-to-consumer toothbrush companies. You are part of the grift!

And now she’s at Rikers? Eating "Pizza Pockets"?

LET HER OUT!

She belongs at The Plaza! She belongs at the Met Gala! She is the embodiment of 2025! "99 pounds, No Plastic Surgery." That is her bio! That is her manifesto!

She offered sex for a steak at Peter Luger! That is a transaction! That is honest commerce! At least she knows what the steak is worth!

Eliot Spitzer is her landlord? Good! He deserves it! Let him chase her for the rent! It’s the battle of the titans! The Luv Gov vs. The Dine-and-Dash Diva! I’d pay $4,500 just to watch that court case!

This woman is a visionary. She realized that money is fake, credit is fake, and the only thing that matters is the photo. She is living in the simulation, and she hacked the code.

Free Pei Chung! Give her a reality show! Give her a podcast! I want to hear her review the "steamed white cabbage" at Rikers! It will be the most honest review on the internet!

LIFE IN THE BIG CITY! IT’S A BUFFET AND NOBODY IS PAYING!

HOUSEKEEPING

SHARE THIS POST Do you have a friend who takes pictures of their food before they eat it? Send this to them. It’s a warning. A cautionary tale. Tell them the lighting at Rikers is terrible.

SUBSCRIBE OR WE DINE AND DASH We need your money to pay for our own meals. We don't have Prada bags to trade. Support cynical, independent journalism before we have to start eating Pizza Pockets.

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