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The Ministry of Labor and Social Development said that the man had been arrested for appearing in an "offensive video" and cited violations of the rules, including those "regulating the placement of women at work".
The local news platform SaudiNews50 said Tuesday that the woman had also been arrested. CNN could not confirm his arrest.
The authorities have not revealed their nationalities. The man speaks in an Egyptian dialect in the video and it was not clear if the woman was Saudi.
"Come and have breakfast with us," said the man, identified in local media by one name, Bahaa, during the video. The video also shows the woman who feeds him.
The video went viral, provoking a reaction from the conservatives of the kingdom, where the public space is usually separated by sex.
The Ministry of Labor said it stopped the man in an "offensive video" with a woman at the reception of a hotel in Jeddah. The man is also accused of "working in a profession reserved for the Saudis," said the ministry without explaining the nature of the work.
Their employer has been summoned and accused of violating the rules governing the placement of women at work, the ministry said.
Strict laws
The highly religious realm has strict laws defining how unrelated men and women can dine together.
The public space in Saudi Arabia is traditionally isolated – restaurants usually separate spaces reserved for men's families. Married couples usually carry official proof of marriage in case they are arrested while walking together.
The coastal city of Jeddah, where the man and the woman were arrested, has many cafes and upscale restaurants that do not apply segregation.
The Saudi prosecutor's office has issued a warning on Twitter that foreigners working in the kingdom should "respect Saudi values, traditions and feelings".
The next day he issued another statement warning that people were facing five years in jail for producing, posting online, sending or saving documents that "violate public order, religious values, public morals or personal life".
"The circular was intended to maintain the relationship between men and women of Bireuen with sharia rather than oppress them, so that they are not caught in the act (Islamic penal code)" Poster.
Not enough change
Saudi Arabia encourages women to enter the labor market and has relaxed some of its most stringent regulations on women and social life, including allowing women to drive and attend stadium football matches.
Prior to the rapid rise of Ben Salman in recent years, the essentially fundamentalist clergy of Saudi Arabia had exerted considerable influence on policy making in the kingdom.
The arrest of some important clerics in recent months, in addition to a series of moves that have strengthened the decision-making of the Crown Prince, has helped to influence the clergy's influence.
In recent years, Saudi Arabia has opened its first cinema in decades and relaxed several discriminatory moral laws against women, including its notorious rules requiring women to be allowed to travel, receive an education and sometimes to work.
Strict interpretations
Foreigners often fall under strict Islamic laws in the Middle East. Recently, a Swede who lives in the UK, Ellie Holman, was arrested in Dubai after drinking a glass of wine during a flight en route to the emirate.
In 2013, the official media The National warned that "tourists are left in a legal gray area and that most will leave the country ignoring that they broke the law, legal experts warn that the unfortunate"
