A woman made headlines on TikTok after sharing the story of an awkward encounter with the married owner of a local restaurant.

Natalia (@natalialately), a longtime influencer from Austin, Texas, said her problems began after the man, who was not named, invited her to a tasting event. Since she lived nearby, Natalia offered to visit the restaurant a day beforehand to “check out the place.”

Initially, she said everyone – and the restaurant itself – was “super nice.” Although Natalia had no plans to have dinner with the owner that night, she said he “kept going on and on” about the restaurant’s food. Eventually, Natalia said she agreed to stay for dinner.

But things turned awkward shortly afterward, she said. As of Friday evening, her video recounting her strange encounter with the restaurant owner had more than 135,300 views.

What happened at dinner?

Natalia said she thought she was invited to the tasting so she could make a TikTok about it, but she said the owner kept saying strange things during the meal before the tasting.

“He started talking to me and said, ‘Yeah. I’m just trying to find ways we can help each other,'” Natalia recalls.

In the middle of dinner, she said, the owner finally thought of a way the content creator could “help” him: by accompanying him on a trip to Mexico he had planned for “very wealthy businessmen.”

The owner said that in addition to the many restaurants he owns, he also plans “experiences.” This allegedly involves planning trips and vacations for an “exclusive” group of clients – all of whom are said to know the owner personally. The owner said he accompanies these men on their trips and he insisted that Natalia accompany them on their next outing.

“He said, ‘You would be a great host to travel with them and make sure everything is OK,'” Natalia said. The owner, she added, also offered to pay for her flight and hotel. He said she would also get her own driver.

But Natalia was not convinced. Shortly after she heard this, alarm bells began to ring.

“Even if it’s a legitimate job,” she said, “I’m not going to go to Mexico to find out.”

Things got even weirder, she said, after the owner admitted to following her for a long time. He said following her content had become an “obsession.” He also confessed that he checks her Instagram daily despite being married.

Natalia said she found the whole conversation “weird.” And at the end, she said she skipped the tasting event she was originally invited to.

Viewers react

Natalia ended her clip with a PSA to influencers: “If you are approached with something like this, please don’t go. Please don’t go to another country with someone you don’t know. No matter how good the job sounds, I don’t think it’s worth risking your life.”

She said she found the situation “hilarious” and viewers praised her for her foresight in rejecting the restaurant owner’s advances.

“Great advice,” wrote one user. “Glad you’re smart and doing well.”

“RUN, GIRL, and don’t look back!!!” said another.

“This is really crazy,” added a third person. “Be safe out there.”

“Very thoughtful of you,” said a fourth user.

@natalialately ♬ Original sound – Natalia

Natalia’s video also caught the attention of her fellow Austinites, who encouraged her to publicly denigrate both the chef and the restaurant.

“Which restaurant in Austin?” was the most liked comment on her post.

“I’m so curious and must know this restaurant (here’s an Austin girl),” read another comment.

“Don’t be afraid to mention the name of the restaurant,” encouraged a third woman.

The Daily Dot contacted Natalia via a TikTok comment.

Internet culture is messy—but we break it down for you in a daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter Here. Get the best (and worst) of the internet delivered straight to your inbox.