Lee, recognized for his mild-mannered supply in his video reviews, briefly expanded his platform on TikTookay past due final 12 months, after his certain reviews of suffering Las Vegas-area eating places went viral. Now he has greater than 14 million fans, and his affect — which is able to ship droves of consumers to a small industry with the post of a TikTookay — has been coined the “Keith Lee Effect,” or being “Keith Lee’d.”
In Atlanta final month for a chain of style checks along with his circle of relatives, Lee said he went to eating places that invited him to study their food or that locals in Atlanta time and again advisable. His revel in echoed the unsavory facets of Atlanta dining tradition, equivalent to get dressed codes, that residents and guests have stated they’ve despised for years and that most effective well-known figures may be able to bypass. Diners have lengthy complained that one of the crucial field’s Black eating place homeowners are extra keen on chasing “clout” from distinguished names than offering the most productive dining revel in for all.
“Here’s why it’s hard to get [Lee] to review your food good,” content material author Kevin “KevOnStage” Fredericks stated in a video on X, previously Twitter, referencing Lee’s tactic of the usage of members of the family to reserve food or request a desk to steer clear of particular remedy. “In order to treat him well,” he stated, “you would have to treat every customer well, and well that’s just going to take too much doggone time.”
Lee’s first prevent after touchdown within the Big Peach was once Atlanta Breakfast Club, the place he described the carrier as “interesting.” “While the people were nice,” he stated, “the rules they had set were very unique to me.”
He and his circle of relatives had been instructed they’d have to reserve and wait outdoor in the event that they had been going to get takeout as they’d deliberate. When they selected to dine in as a substitute, Lee stated, the waiter instructed them their whole celebration needed to be seated to be served the rest, even water — and the crowd was once most effective allowed to reserve as soon as.
While Lee gave middle-of-the-road rankings for the French toast, breakfast bowl, biscuit and salmon croquettes he attempted, he was once surprised to listen to from a circle of relatives member that the eating place fees $1 for butter. “The butter a dollar? At a breakfast place?” Lee stated sooner than obvious into the digital camera.
The largest social media uproar started after Lee left the Real Milk & Honey empty-handed, regardless of him pleading with audience to not ship adverse feedback to the eating place. When he known as to put a to-go order, he stated, he was once greeted by way of a message device that stated the eating place accepts to-go orders most effective via DoorDash. On DoorDash, the eating place was once indexed as closed to orders at 4 p.m. — one hour sooner than the eating place’s marketed last time. When Lee’s circle of relatives made up our minds to stroll in with out him, they had been instructed it was once last early for a deep cleansing. When Lee later walked in himself, the group of workers identified him and presented him a desk, however he declined.
“Usually when celebrities come in, they want to be treated like that,” he later defined in a TikTok post. “I’m not a celebrity. I’m a normal person. … I’m just not the target audience for that kind of treatment.”
The Real Milk & Honey’s preliminary reaction to Lee’s video — a skit through which eating place group of workers pretended to not know who Lee was once and dismissed his critique — drew huge backlash.
In a Tuesday commentary posted to its social media, the eating place wrote: “Today, we extend our apologies to all as we address a recent incident that highlighted a review from a high profile food blogger. In no way were we trying to discredit anyone, if the comments came across as such, kindly accept our apologies. It’s crucial to always take feedback and make improvements for the success of our business, and our community. We’ve taken time to reflect on the incident and have started internal corrective actions with our team regarding communication styles.”
The eating place amended its house rules, that have been circulated on-line amid the fashionable complaint. The Real Milk & Honey lifted its ban on events of 5 or extra, but it surely nonetheless does no longer take reservations, has no ready field and doesn’t permit customizations when ordering. Milk and Honey Brunch Restaurants, additionally in Atlanta, clarified that it is not affiliated with the Real Milk & Honey after the eating place stated managers and staffers won threats.
At Old Lady Gang, a cafe owned by way of singer and reality-TV celebrity Kandi Burruss, Lee encountered identical problems. The eating place doesn’t take to-go orders or reservations on weekends, so Lee’s members of the family had been instructed they’d be looking ahead to as much as an hour and a part for seats. Moments later, Lee walked in and was once presented a five-minute look ahead to a desk after the hostess stated the ones at the wait checklist forward of him didn’t pick out up when she known as. He instructed Old Lady Gang he would consume somewhere else.
Burruss addressed Lee’s visit in an Instagram video: “I do appreciate Keith Lee for stopping by our restaurant and trying to show us love. It is very unfortunate that we couldn’t serve him and his family. We would have loved to, okay?” she stated. “But he’s right: We don’t take to-go orders on the weekends. … We don’t want to overwhelm our kitchen.”
She additionally defended the hostess who presented Lee a far shorter wait time, announcing the eating place tries to seem out for its supporters.
Criticism of Atlanta’s eating place scene briefly unfold from Lee’s remark phase to all over the place X, TikTookay and Instagram.
“They create all of these house rules in order to feel exclusive and bourgeoisie,” stated Atlanta TikToker Voodoo Bae. “They upsell and overprice everything in order to feel expensive. However, quite often, the food and the service don’t match the price.”
Cardi B stated in an Instagram Live that she feels unhealthy for Atlanta citizens as a result of the effort and restrictions at one of the crucial town’s eating places, together with a loss of pickup or supply choices, unpredictable hours — in the event that they’re open in any respect on a given day — and lengthy wait instances.
“I feel like Atlanta restaurants — they don’t like to make money. They don’t like people. They don’t like they customers,” she stated. “They treat you like they was doing you a favor.”
The rapper stated she’s instructed other folks choosing up her food to name-drop her to get well carrier.
Several smaller Atlanta companies that locals love, equivalent to Juci Jerk, the Dining Experience and the Bodega, gained Lee over throughout his visits, regardless of no longer understanding previously they had been serving the circle of relatives of a well-liked food TikToker. After Lee praised the eating places’ customer support and jerk hen, Rasta pasta and nachos in his movies, they proudly confirmed off their “Keith Lee Approved” statuses and larger industry in social media posts.
Lee was once so inspired by way of Jamaican Jerk Biz, which stayed open past due for his circle of relatives, he matched the industry’s gross sales for the day, tipping just about $3,000. “You stayed late, and you had no idea it was us,” he stated in his video. “I appreciate you.”
Jamaican Jerk Biz’s proprietor, who burst into tears when Lee walked during the door, stated on social media that she was once full of hope after his discuss with: “His Presence Alone Has Changed Me & I Will For Ever Be Grateful .. His Kind Words Of Encouragement Was So Needed .. I Will Continue To Dream & Dream Big.”