A New York City-based food blogger is at the centre of a dispute after allegedly refusing to pay a $300 dinner tab in New Orleans, claiming influencers eat for free. The incident, which went viral, has sparked a debate about the ethics of influencer dining.
Bella Blue and Andrew Principe, owners of Pulcinella in New Orleans' 7th Ward, said fashion blogger Diane Kronstad, who runs Fashions Digest, contacted them on Instagram to arrange a review. In direct messages shown to People, Blue asked: 'Are we expected to pay something? Comp food? Drinks?' Kronstad allegedly replied: 'No payment necessary for this visit. Just need to select from the food and drink menu to review and shoot photos/reels.'
Kronstad told The Independent the visit was agreed as a hosted dinner, but claimed the owner failed to introduce themselves or clarify that only dessert would be comped. She said: 'When the bill came, the energy turned hostile... He ultimately told us to leave... and then followed us outside, yelling at us before taking the tip.'
Blue said in an Instagram video that Kronstad and a guest dined on the agreed date but refused to pay the $290 tab. Principe told People he paid the discounted bill and tipped the server himself. He claimed the diners agreed to leave a tip when confronted, but initially tried to leave without doing so, only returning to leave a 10 percent cash tip after he stopped them outside.
Kronstad told The Independent: 'Coverage isn’t comped — it’s earned. Restaurant coverage isn’t about a free meal — it’s about a fair exchange: exposure for hospitality, content for experience.' She later left a two-star review calling the food 'average', and Principe responded by saying he had filed a police report.
