Prank or theft? Influencers Chuck and Joe slammed by restaurant group for alleged stealing
MANILA, Philippines — Social media personalities Chuck Aquino and Joe Roland Abad have been called out by a restaurant association for their "irresponsible" prank.
On Tuesday, the duo known as @chuckandjoe on Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok were slammed by restaurant group Resto PH over a prank they pulled on a restaurant.
In their TikTok clip, it showed one of them keep on ordering Togarashi (chili pepper spice) from a Japanese restaurant. The video would show that they would put their fresh order in a jar.
One of them was heard remarking, "Nobody's gonna know."
At the end of the clip, one of them is seen walking out of the restaurant. It also flashed the superimposed texts "Act innocent & do not make eye contact."
"We are deeply concerned and saddened by the irresponsible Tiktok video posted by the influencers known as Chuck and Joe. In a Japanese restaurant, they asked for additional servings of Togarashi powder, which they filled up jars with, hid in a bag, and surreptitiously brought out with these instructions: 'do not make eye contact' and 'no one will ever know'. Their intention to deceive was crystal clear," began their statement.
They addressed the viewers of the social media sites, which mostly composed of Gen Zs and Millennials, who can be "impressionable."
"Our members have expressed outrage and disappointment over this video, which may encourage others, especially impressionable youth, to emulate the prank. While the influencers have posted an attempt at an apology, it was disappointing, as their video is still up on Tiktok," the statement added.
The said video is no longer available in the duo's Tiktok feed as of press time. The pair's individual and social media pages on Instagram and Facebook do not contain any posts related to the incident.
Resto PH added that they consider the prank as a "form of theft." They added that it no longer is "petty" once it is promoted on social media. The group added that losses incurred by restaurants are not "casual matters" to be used for a social experiment.
"The restrictions of the quarantine have already caused many restaurants to close, and many more are struggling to survive. Malicious videos set a negative example and will have an adverse effect on the thousands of people who rely on the F&B industry for their security.
"We, the members of RestoPH, appreciate influencers’ contributions, but the quest for ‘views’ and ‘hits’ must be balanced with integrity. May we also enjoin other social media personalities to avoid creating content that clearly disrespects an industry and its workers. We are hopeful of the public’s support, as these kinds of acts should not be emulated for virality and 'comedy'," the statement continued.
It ended with an appeal to the duo.
"And to the influencers involved: if you truly regret what you have done, we ask you to please delete the offensive video, as a sincere sign of respect for the community you have harmed," the statement ended.
