San Francisco Chef Allegedly Continues to Post Negative Messages to Influencers After Leaving His Restaurants

The controversy behind San Francisco chef Geoffrey Lee’s departure from Hamburger Project has only intensified in the months since he left his three restaurants. San Francisco lifestyle and food influencer Kathleen Ensign alleges that she’s been contacted by multiple anonymous sources claiming that Lee continued to harass guests and patrons of Hamburger Project on the internet, according to a video she posted to her Instagram profile on Wednesday, February 26. “I feel awful,” Ensign tells Eater SF. “I wake up to dozens of nasty comments every single day. He opened up a conversation that hasn’t stopped.”

Reached by phone on Wednesday, February 26, Lee denies all new accusations made in the video. He holds himself accountable for the initial disagreement with Ensign in late 2024, but says since everything went public in January he’s ceased reaching out to customers and reviewers. Further, he alleges others have created accounts to pretend to be him and impersonate him online. In the weeks since the fallout, Lee says he’s sought therapy and wrote an apology letter to Ensign. (She acknowledges he sent a letter.) “My email’s been hacked, my social media’s been hacked,” Lee says. “I wholeheartedly deny any of those weird statements are from me. I am in shock that someone would go to this extent to create accounts and impersonate me. It’s spiraling, and it’s scary. I thought we were moving on.”

The initial issues between Lee and Ensign began on December 11, 2024, over the influencer’s review of the then-new Hamburger Project on Divisadero Street. Posting a “good but not great” 7.2 rating, Ensign was suddenly the subject of Lee’s attention when he found the video about 10 days later, she told the San Francisco Standard later, and she alleged that he followed up with negative comments calling her “weird” and “unstable.” In further exchanges between the two, a voice memo purportedly from Lee’s young daughter was sent to Ensign, calling her a “dumbface.” Ensign shared instances of the messages on social media, leading to an online furor over Lee’s actions. This all culminated in Lee stepping back from his role as chef at Hamburger Project, Ju-Ni, and Handroll Project on Friday, January 3. Ensign tells Eater SF she has not corresponded with Lee since Wednesday, January 8.

Now, on Wednesday, February 26, Ensign posted an Instagram video highlighting a series of direct messages and emails shared with her from other women who claim they had similar run-ins with Lee. In an email sent on Thursday, February 6, to multiple members of the food media and national press, an anonymous source claiming to be a former employee made multiple allegations against Lee related to purported misconduct at his restaurants and on social media. Ensign shared that email and more in her video. (Eater was not able to independently verify the claims or review the emails allegedly directed to Ensign.)

Further, in mid-February, Lee’s Instagram account shared an article to his Instagram story regarding bounties placed on two diner’s heads in Kyoto, Japan, over a one-star review. Lee’s account also shared the story in direct messages to several local food reporters including one at Eater, which Ensign shared in her video. Ensign also alleges Lee created a false email that assumed Ensign’s identity and began trolling a local GoFundMe.

Regarding the anonymous email sent on February 6, Eater SF reached out to the restaurant group behind Hamburger Project. In an email reply on Saturday, February 8, the group — which also owns formerly Michelin-starred Ju-Ni and Handroll Project — claimed Lee was no longer at the restaurants. In an Instagram post on February 26, ownership disavowed Lee again. The post states that staffers were surprised Lee was at the restaurant, as social media stories posted from Lee’s point of view indicated he was visiting. “Geoffrey has not been a part of our day to day operations at any of the restaurants since Jan 3,” the post reads in part. “We are as appalled as everyone else by the recent revelations on social media regarding his actions and communications with individuals online. Please know that Geoffrey is not acting on behalf of our partners, our staff, or our principles.” Business partner Tan Truong has not replied to a request for an interview.

Lee says he remains a silent partner at the restaurants but is not involved in day-to-day operations in any way. He adds the photos taken by him at Ju-Ni and Hamburger Project are from him showing up to dine, as he misses the food. He says he’s a fan and took photos, and that the staff were surprised but happy to see him. He denies all of the disturbing interactions with customers and the GoFundMe account. The bounty post, in his mind, was relevant to what he was going through. “I have nothing to do with the restaurants. I am not placing a bounty on anyone’s head,” Lee says. “The story in Japan was extreme but there was irony in it.”

Ensign is not discussing legal action at this point. Leaving a musical at the Golden Gate Theater on Tuesday, February 25, a stranger stopped Ensign. They clocked her as the “hamburger girl.” For her, making her livelihood as a full-time content creator, she says feels like a never-ending nightmare. “I can’t ignore it,” Ensign says. “It’s almost every day. He’s taking over my life.”