Australian YouTuber Stanley Chen pulled a fast one on dozens of restaurant-goers and influencers by opening a fake ramen omakase. “Omakase” is a Japanese term meaning “I leave it up to you,” where the chef selects the diners’ meal. Chen uploaded the prank to his YouTube channel on Aug. 1.
- The video: In the video, Chen shares how he and his friends, including real chef Gabe, started the fake ramen restaurant by creating a fake website, promoting it on TikTok, acquiring a huge supply of instant ramen and naming it Nise Jangara Ramen – “nise” means “fake” in English. Chen’s restaurant was packed on opening day, with dozens of people still lined up later that night. Some of the diners even gave Chen positive reviews, with one woman saying, “Chef needs to make me another bowl.”
- His inspiration: Speaking to News.com.au, Chen said he was inspired by his bad experience working at a restaurant for his prank, which he set up in Sydney’s Surry Hills. In the interview, he shared that the restaurant he worked for purportedly claimed their meals were fresh, but in reality, they were prepared a week earlier. “They were charging like $30 to $40 per plate of food, and what they were essentially doing was just microwave meals,” he said. Despite learning that it was all fake, Chen told News.com.au that he still received positive feedback and that many people enjoyed it, thinking it was a “pretty funny experience.”
