The owner of an Illinois ramen restaurant was caught on video chasing a customer down the street demanding they leave a tip for their $20 meal.
The confrontation, which has since gone viral on social media and triggered official investigations, unfolded on the quiet streets outside Table to Stix, in downtown Evanston.
The ramen shop is well reviewed and known for its steamy bowls and casual vibe.
But on Saturday afternoon, the store’s frontage became the backdrop for an ugly outburst in which the owner, Kenny Chou, lost control.
The video saw Chou follow a customer into the street then berate the man who paid for his $19.89 meal with a $20 bill – but left no additional tip.
‘I paid for my food. I handed you $20. You cannot charge more than what them and you paid so what are you talking about,’ the customer shot back during the heated exchange.
As the minutes ticked by, tensions only increased as Chou intimidatingly closely followed the man.
‘What are you going to do?’ the man asked Chou repeatedly, warning that the video would ‘blow up on social media.’
The owner of an Illinois ramen restaurant, Kenny Chou, was caught on video chasing a customer down the street demanding they leave a tip for their $20 meal
It happened on the quiet streets outside Table to Stix, in downtown Evanston, Illinois
The customer has not revealed his full name but goes by ‘Capital Gentlemen’ on social media
‘What do you want? I paid for my food!’ the man tells Chou who continues to trail him.
‘Get the f*** back! Call 911 if you need to settle something,’ he urges.
‘I paid for my food. I paid you $20. I am not legally required to give you a tip. Get back bro,’ the man warned.
Chou lost his cool. ‘Shut your goddam f****** mouth. How are my staff supposed to make money? I’ll slap the s*** out of you,’ he threatened.
Throughout, the customer seemed to show remarkable restraint as he urged Chou to step back and chill out.
‘What are you doing? Bro, what are you on? Get back!’
Watching the footage later, Chou said he felt a wave of humiliation and guilt crash over him.
‘Bringing shame to my wife as a husband, as an owner. At the same time to my mom and dad,’ Chou said.
Chou closely followed the man down the street in what was intimidating behavior
Chou asked how he was supposed to pay his staff without a tip
Until the outburst the restaurant had received better than average reviews online
The backlash was swift and brutal with accusations of racial discrimination as the customer involved is black.
Messages scrawled in chalk soon appeared outside Table to Stix: ‘Anti-Black, Do Not Eat Here.’
Review site Yelp was also forced to slap an ‘unusual activity alert’ on the restaurant’s page, freezing reviews as anger mounted. Phone lines were unplugged and social media accounts were deactivated.
When asked later why he didn’t tip, the customer made no apologies stating online, ‘Oh, I just didn’t want to.’
Chou is now desperate to make amends and says he sent the customer’s brother home with his favorite order, a handwritten apology, and a heartfelt offer: ‘My door is open for you, man. You know, come on by anytime,’ he said to CBS News.
The incident has gone far beyond a simple spat. The Evanston Police Department confirmed a report for harassment was filed and an investigation is now underway.
The customer posted the video to his social media and explained what happened
At a public Equity and Empowerment Commission meeting in Evanston, members debated what punishment, if any, could be levied against Chou.
Meanwhile, activists and black community leaders have organized a boycott and staged a protest outside Table to Stix.
They are demanding that Chou not merely apologize through media channels, but show up in person to publicly apologize to the black community.
Sitting quietly inside his battered business as the dinner rush began Thursday evening, Chou reflected on the chaos his actions had unleashed.
A Korean immigrant who came to America at the age of 5, Chou said he never imagined that his pursuit of the American dream would end in public disgrace.
For ten years, he and his wife had worked to build Table to Stix into a neighborhood fixture but it now appears the future of their restaurant and their reputation hangs by a thread.
One councilmember, Devon Reid, suggested one way forward might be for the city of Evanston to abolish the controversial tipped wage system altogether, proposing a service fee model to eliminate the sometimes awkward expectations around gratuities.
