An influencer told his audience to never visit a stable restaurant in New York City, New York, because he had to wait for a table even though he had a reservation. He is currently under fire given the restaurant’s reputation, the entitled tone of his cancellation attempt, and the fact that he arrived late.
The influencer in question is Clay Zander, who shared his experience at L’Artusi, a very well-known and well-liked New York restaurant. From the get-go, he was adamant about demonstrating his distaste for the way he and his party were treated, telling his followers to never visit the restaurant.
Inside L’Artusi, Clay said that this was not the first time he had visited the Italian restaurant. In fact, he had dined there back in December 2025, and he called L’Artusi the “best experience ever.” However, this time around, things were dramatically different, with Clay saying, “This is a scam.”
Clay blasted the host and the manager, accusing the server of “sweating” on top of them, lying, and saying that the host was staring and laughing at them. He showed no proof in his clip.
“I want out of here. I never want to come back to L’Artusi,” the influencer said.
Arriving Late, Reactions
Then, Clay gave some more context to his less-than-stellar experience at the New York restaurant. His reservation was at 5 p.m., but they arrived at 5:03 p.m. Still, they were missing a member of their party, who was outside. All in all, they were all inside L’Artusi at 5:05 p.m., and they were told to wait. In total, according to Clay, they waited for 25 minutes for their table.
After having some drinks, Clay and his party left the restaurant, repeating out loud, “Do not go to L’Artusi.”
While some people supported Clay’s clip, a vast majority of users called him out for his behavior. One content creator in particular, Daadi Snacks, said he had a full-on meltdown. Although Clay claimed he does not usually make this type of content, Daadi attached a clip of Clay going off at a Chipotle because they didn’t have ice.
Users, fed up with the “influencer tries to cancel restaurant” trend, blasted Clay.
“His voice alone told me everything,” one user commented. Another one asked, “So, they arrived late, or am I missing something?” A third one added, “When is this influencer era going to end?“
A debate sparked in Daadi’s reaction video, though, with some saying that Clay was in the right. Others, however, argued that sometimes wait times can occur despite a reservation, especially in a place such as New York City.
