LA restaurant addresses viral $110 cake-cutting charge after influencer’s visit

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A food critic is speaking out after a video she posted about being charged $110 to cut a cake at a restaurant gained attention online.

Many restaurants charge a small fee if you bring your own food or drinks. For example, you might pay a ‘corkage’ fee for bringing your own wine, or even a fee for bringing in a birthday cake.

Influencer justinelovesushi shared on May 14th that she was charged $110 by Poza, a rooftop restaurant and bar in Los Angeles, simply to cut a birthday cake her group brought with them.

The food reviewer was surprised to be charged for cutting the cake, as staff hadn’t mentioned any fee beforehand. She explained, “It’s okay to charge a fee, but customers should be told about it upfront.”

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A post shared by 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚎 • 𝚏𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚗 𝚏𝚞𝚗 ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ (@justinelovesushi)

LA restaurant refunds cake-cutting fee after viral video

The video quickly gained popularity online, but viewers had mixed reactions. Some people supported the restaurant, calling the situation understandable, while others sided with Justine, believing she should have been informed beforehand.

The food reviewer said the restaurant contacted her on May 20th after receiving criticism and offered a refund of $110.

They contacted me and offered a complete refund for the cake cutting service, and they’ve invited me to return. Justine also feels it’s unfair that others have left negative reviews because of what happened to her.

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A post shared by 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚎 • 𝚏𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚗 𝚏𝚞𝚗 ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ (@justinelovesushi)

Overall, it was a decent experience. The rooftop and restaurant are both lovely, and the food was good, though pricey. She felt the negative reviews weren’t justified, considering the quality they offered.

Poza also shared an update on Instagram, explaining that they’ve reduced the price to $5 for all future customers.

We sincerely apologize that you weren’t told about the cake cutting fee. That’s not how we usually handle things, and you should have been informed about it when you brought the cake.

Although one person’s dessert might be expensive, a Maine high school recently served students what turned out to be baked dirt at a fundraiser, and they apologized after the mistake was discovered.

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2026-05-20 14:19