A Prada-clad accused dine-and-dash diva who targets some of the city’s priciest eateries brazenly posted Monday about hitting up two more hot spots over the weekend — while mocking cops for tossing her leftovers.
Alleged serial eat-it-and-beat-it foodie Pei Chung, 34, of Brooklyn had already been busted five times since late October for ordering hundreds of dollars in food at top joints — then claiming to be an influencer willing to give them publicity in exchange for freebies, The Post reported Sunday.
Pei Chung, 34, of Brooklyn had already been busted five times. lu.pychung/Instagram
Pei orders hundreds of dollars of food at top joints — then claims to be an influencer willing to give them publicity in exchange for freebies. lu.pychung/Instagram
Chung was charged each time with theft of services — crimes that are not bail-eligible — and freed.
The alleged scammer, who prances around Instagram in Prada heels with Louis Vuitton handbags and Hermes belts, then posted fresh photos Monday from two more alleged dash-and-dine visits to Williamsburg restaurants Friday into Saturday — after she was busted for them.
“She looks normal because she dresses so nice — the way she eats, orders food — the way she took photos,” said Joy Panics, the manager of trendy Sea Thai, where Chung went Saturday night.
Chung was charged each time with theft of services, and then freed. lu.pychung/Instagram
Chung ended up flaunting the pricey dishes of filet strips, shrimp and pasta she ordered while at Sea Thai and the Misi eatery before police busted her again in both instances.
The NYPD said that Friday, Chung strolled into the Italian restaurant Misi at 329 Kent Ave. around 5:26 p.m., ordered a meal worth $100 and then refused to pay.
The next evening, she hit Sea Thai at 114 N. 6th St. around 6:45 p.m., ordered $123 in food and again refused to pay, triggering her second arrest of the weekend, police said.
Chung mocked the cops in her Instagram captions. lu.pychung/Instagram
Chung mocked the cops in her Instagram captions.
“Police officers threw out my takeout cuisine again which I organized them in the bar like a pro,’’ she wrote.
“I don’t mind if they enjoy continuing my takeout cuisine or order more food to share.”
Panics told The Post she immediately suspected something was off when Chung settled into the restaurant for hours Saturday.
“She was here by herself, she ordered a bunch of food. The check came to $120-something,” the manager said.
She said Chung — who lives in a luxury tower on nearby Kent Avenue –spent about three hours at the table while repeatedly photographing her dishes.
When her table was needed for incoming reservations, staff asked whether Chung needed anything else and requested payment, Panics said.
Chung had arrived dressed in fur, carrying a Louis Vuitton bag and using professional camera equipment. lu.pychung/Instagram
“She left the table and spent 30 minutes in the bathroom. We had to knock, open the door,’’ the manager said.
“It seemed like she didn’t have money. She gave us three or four credit cards. All of them didn’t have money.”
Customers at nearby tables started to recognize her from a previous media report and alerted staff that she was the same woman accused of dining and dashing at other restaurants, Panics said.
The restaurant’s security guard then contacted police.
Chung claimed to the cops that she couldn’t fork up the dough for the food “because the government didn’t pay back her tax,” Panics said.
The manager said the scene was surreal because Chung had arrived dressed in fur, carrying a Louis Vuitton bag and using professional camera equipment.
The accused fraudster filmed herself apparently earlier in the day posing for the camera while trying on designer duds, saying her Saturday “tasks” included checking out the Hermes luxury store on North Sixth Street.
“She dresses so nice,’’ Panics said. “She had fur. Louis Vuitton bag. Nice camera. Everything looks so fine on her.
“When the officer came and checked her stuff, she only had a to-go food bag,” the owner of Sea Thai told The Post. lu.pychung/Instagram
“It’s not normal,’’ Panics said of the situation.
“When I talked to her, she couldn’t keep eye contact with me. When the officer asked, ‘How are you going to pay the bill?’ she asked the officer, ‘Have you ever paid tax? Do you work for the government? Can you give me a tax return?’
“She has a lot of shopping bags with her … but they are empty,’’ Panics said. “She has a shopping bag from Gucci, but it’s an empty bag.
“When the officer came and checked her stuff, she only had a to-go food bag.”
Chung’s weekend arrests extend an alleged crime spree that began in late October, when restaurants including the Michelin-starred Francie, Lavender Lake, Motorino and Peter Luger said Chung posed as a food influencer complete with a lighting setup before allegedly dashing on hefty tabs.
Chung’s weekend arrests extend an alleged crime spree that began in late October. lu.pychung/Instagram
Chung continued posting glowing food photography and florid reviews of the meals she allegedly never paid for. lu.pychung/Instagram
“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,” a source had told The Post.
“All her cards were declined,” the source said.
At Peter Luger, a manager said Chung disappeared into the bathroom for 45 minutes before allegedly offering sexual favors to wipe her $146 bill.
“Is there anything else I can do for you because I don’t want to pay this check,” she asked a worker, according to the restaurant.
Despite the escalating arrests, Chung continued posting glowing food photography and florid reviews of the meals she allegedly never paid for.
“Each slice reveals a deep rose center under a caramelized crust — a balance of char and tenderness perfected over decades,” she wrote in a blog entry about Peter Luger, adding, “The fat melts like silk, carrying the essence of oak and iron from the grill.”
Chung did not respond to requests for comment. Her public defender declined comment.
-Additional reporting by Kyle Schnitzer