Melbourne's Montmorency Bakehouse Faces Online Abuse Amid TikTok Success
Montmorency Bakehouse, located on Melbourne’s east fringe, was established in 2003 by Vietnamese migrants Cindy Vuong and Shaun Du. Their son, Lawrence Du, now 28, manages the bakery's social media presence, focusing on behind-the-scenes videos featuring staff. Since their first TikTok post last year, which attracted over 100,000 views and 50,000 views on Instagram, the bakery has seen a significant boost in business.
The staff, mostly high school and university students, actively participate in these videos and have been positively influenced by this growth. However, the bakery has also encountered online abuse, including racist comments, sexual harassment, and invasion of privacy targeting staff and their personal accounts.
Initially, the bakery responded by replying to some critical comments but eventually resorted to deleting, blocking abusive comments, and sometimes disabling comments altogether. Shaun Du has also stayed late after shifts to supervise and protect staff in response to the harassment.
Social media strategist Meg Coffey emphasized the importance of creating safe spaces with clear boundaries and consent when involving staff as influencers, along with rewarding them for their participation.
A video featuring Shaun asking viewers to stop making inappropriate "thirsty" comments went viral, amassing 12.1 million views on TikTok, becoming the bakery’s most-viewed post. Despite the online abuse, the bakery has not observed any negative spillover into offline interactions. Support for the bakery and its staff has grown, and they remain committed to fostering a respectful online environment.
