Hailey Yoo (@haileyoo0), a TikTok content creator with over 37,000 followers, is posting a warning regarding the Dior cafe in Beverly Hills, California. “If you’re allergic to alcohol, sober, or pregnant, be careful when visiting the Dior Cafe in Beverly Hills,” she wrote in her video’s caption.
According to her, the cafe may have served her and her friends alcoholic beverages when they ordered mocktails. Yoo experienced an “Asian glow” and felt severe symptoms that she associates with alcohol. When she addressed this with a server, they told her that there was no possible way her drink included alcohol.
Yoo recounted feeling gaslit by the cafe, as she knows what the symptoms of drinking alcohol look like for her and her friend. Ultimately, though, the cafe made no attempt to apologize for the mix-up. Workers continued claiming that there was no alcohol in their beverages.
What Happened at the Dior Cafe?
Yoo went out with two of her girlfriends to the “Dior Cafe.” This most likely refers to Monsieur Dior by Dominique Crenn, a fine dining establishment located on the third floor of Dior’s Beverly Hills store.
All three women ordered mocktails at the restaurant. Then, after chatting for about 30 minutes, the women started to feel unusual.
“ Suddenly, I feel like my whole body is warm and my heart was palpitating, and so I was like, ‘This is weird,’” Yoo told viewers. Her friends also started to feel slightly inebriated despite only drinking the mocktail. Yoo described that one of her friends, Jennifer, also started to have more severe side effects and an “Asian glow.”
Confused, they started asking each other whether or not there was alcohol in their drinks. The woman called over the server to ask, but was surprised by what she said.
Apparently, the Dior restaurant mixed the drinks with only two ingredients, and there was “no way” that the drinks could have alcohol in them. The server even brought out two bottles that the drinks were supposedly made with to prove what ingredients were in them.
Another Worker Gets Involved
However, that directly contradicted what Yoo and her two friends were feeling. They insisted that there may be alcohol in the beverages. So, the server brought out the beverage director, who had an “attitude” with them.
They continued denying that any alcohol could be in the beverages, as the restaurant didn’t “prep” the drinks that way. They also asked if it was possible that Jennifer and Yoo had mushroom allergies, as the drinks contained “mushroom adaptogens.”
The beverage director even drank from their champagne flute and told them that there was “no alcohol” in their beverages, a shocking choice that seemed unprofessional to some viewers.
Eventually, they left the establishment. Before leaving, however, they decided to get a drink to go. They wanted to prove something at home.
How Did Yoo Prove That the Mocktails Had Alcohol in Them?
Yoo and her friends ordered alcohol testing strips online to test and see whether or not the drinks had alcohol in them. They tested the mocktails and their own urine to see if there were trace amounts of liquor in their beverages.
Ultimately, Jennifer and Yoo tested positive for remaining alcohol in their urine, according to Yoo’s testimony. The mocktails also tested positive for having alcohol in them, directly contradicting the staff at the cafe.
What Is an ‘Asian Glow’?
An “Asian glow” is a common phrase that refers to an alcohol flush reaction for those of Asian descent. For many people who are specifically from East Asia, any form of alcohol can bring adverse side effects like what Yoo described: heart palpitations, lightheadedness, and a flushed red face.
Contrary to popular belief, the “Asian glow” is not an allergic reaction. Instead, many East Asian people have a genetic mutation, ALDH2*2, which makes it more difficult to break down alcohol’s toxins.
It’s estimated that around 30 to 50% of individuals of East Asian descent experience the “Asian glow” as a result of this genetic mutation.
The symptoms of an “Asian glow” can be particularly dangerous for anyone with pre-existing conditions. It can also be more severe for some individuals, making it harder to safely drink alcohol.
Some people use pre-existing supplements that treat heartburn and other conditions to help with it. But, according to some researchers, these supplements can only address surface-level symptoms and not the toxins that build up from drinking alcohol. Ultimately, the inability to break down alcohol’s toxins can lead to greater issues down the line, like an increased risk of certain cancers.
What Are the Risks of Having Alcoholic Beverages Listed As Mocktails?
What Yoo and her friends discovered ultimately is a huge risk for customers. If a recovering alcoholic orders a “mocktail” that actually has alcohol in it, it can derail their progress.
Alcohol inside food and beverages is enough of a concern that even a rum cake can cause major distress for recently or long-time sober individuals.
Many people also report experiencing severe side effects when drinking alcohol, which is why they order mocktails. The “Asian glow” can be a significant and even life-threatening issue for some people due to the increased risk of heart palpitations. Restaurants subjecting their customers to debilitating side effects due to a lack of care or caution can be particularly frightening, which is why so many commenters were appalled by the Dior restaurant staff’s behavior.
But it seems to be a common issue based on viewers’ testimonies. “I’m allergic to alcohol and maybe [one to two times] per year I will get served alcohol when I specifically order mocktails, even when there’s a separate mocktail list with drinks that have different names,” said one viewer. “The reaction and gaslighting you got from the staff is unfortunately not uncommon.”
Likewise, many commenters shared similar experiences ordering mocktails, only to receive completely different items.
AllHipHop reached out to Yoo and Dior via email for comment. We’ll let you know if either party responds.
