A Charlotte, North Carolina caviar catering business owner said in a TikTok video posted by La Pearle’ Caviar (@lapearlecaviar) that a man who asked about pricing for a wedding later appeared to be linked to a competing local company. Tamu Curtis, who owns La Pearle’ Caviar, shared the account while talking about what she described as underhanded practices among small businesses. The video has drawn 342,000 views, 60,100 likes, and more than 1,000 comments. Curtis said she is located in Charlotte and that her company offers Roman caviar hosts, caviar carts, and retail options. She stated that the man, whom she identified as Daniel Kivo, contacted her in July through a direct message that simply read, “Hello, can I get pricing?” She noted that the message did not specify what the pricing was for, whether it involved catering or a tasting, or details such as the number of people or the date of the event. She explained that she responded by sending him a form to complete so she could prepare a quote. Curtis said she uses this step because filling out a form usually shows the request is more likely to be a serious one. She added that the form collects the information she needs, including the type of event and other relevant details. The owner connected the inquiry to a local competitor According to Curtis, the completed form showed interest in a wedding in Charlotte for 100 guests scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. She said the inquiry also mentioned interest in the mobile caviar service, a caviar bar, and the creative pairing service. She described the pairing option as one that can include add-ons such as chicken nuggets, potato chips, and ice cream. @lapearlecaviar P.S.A! When they say Charlotte is a crabs in a barrel town it’s because people exhibit this type of low vibrational behavior. DANNY KIVO OF DOLCE AND PEARL I GOT YOUR NUMBER! #caviar #CaviarBelt #caviarcatering #clt #cltcatering ♬ original sound – La Pearle’ Caviar Curtis stated that she sent a quote after reviewing the form. In a reply on the same email thread, the man wrote, “Hello Tama, So If I want the classic package with the roaming host. It would be $2320 plus 18% gratuity fee?” She said she confirmed the details of the classic package, but then received no further response for several months. She noted that silence after a quote is common in business, since a customer sent to a competitor or a client who chooses another direction may simply decide the price is outside their budget. She said she later received another email from the same person on the original thread. The message read, “Good morning, Are you guys still a company? I don’t see your stuff anywhere anymore? I was wondering how much your caviar tasting is?” Curtis pointed out that this new request was for a tasting rather than the wedding catering he had inquired about earlier. She said the question about not seeing her content made her think he may have been blocked from her accounts. Curtis also explained that she had previously blocked a Charlotte company called Dolce and Pearl after seeing it offer similar services, including caviar tastings and Roman caviar, along with cannoli. She stated that she does not object to others building a competing business in the same market, noting that there are wide varieties of sturgeon and many restaurants overall. She added that what she does not like is underhanded tactics. After unblocking the account and reviewing its posts, she said she found that Daniel Kivo is listed as the founder of Dolce and Pearl on its website. Curtis claimed he is the same person who contacted her by message and email while posing as a potential customer. She said people can be “real sneaky and real snaky.” She addressed him in the video, stating that she hopes he thrives but not by using her pricing and strategy, and she urged him to develop his own approach for clients. Viewers left a range of comments on the video. One person suggested giving him a fake quote. Another wrote, “Lmaooo boy I tell you, they wanna be us so d–n bad!” A third commented, “I would quote him 5K for a consultation in that same email thread.” One commenter expressed approval of the response and wrote, “I love how smart we are, you knew something was right!” Another offered a different view and said, “Take it as a compliment. You’re a real threat! They can imitate but never duplicate!” A customer who identified as a recent bride shared their own preference for clear pricing, writing, “As a customer and a recent bride any vendor I had to inquire about the price instead of atleast the base prices not on the website I found a new vendor. Woulda saved you this interaction if you had transparent pricing listed out online.”