What can restaurants learn from TikTok food critic Keith Lee's visit to Atlanta?

ATLANTA - The restaurant scene in Atlanta is still reeling weeks after influential TikTok food critic Keith Lee visited some of the city’s eateries and had some less than favorable things to say.

His reviews have even prompted death threats to some Atlanta-area establishments, prompting Lee to use his channel in response.

The Thompson Buckhead has been hosting a series of talks with some of Atlanta’s cultural and culinary elite in response. On Thursday night, they hosted Chef Bella Jones, of Liz and Leon’s & 8Elven Hospitality; Nigel Douglas, of The Real Milk and Honey ATL; Christopher Daniel, cultural critic, TikTok food critic and influencer Dr. Zackory Kirk; and Frank Ski. 

Jason Bass, the director of culture and programming at Thompson Buckhead, says the goal is a way to move forward and have a better cultural experience in Atlanta.

"I don’t think the reviews were necessarily negative, they were more truthful from his perspective and his experience, but that doesn’t mean everybody wants to hear the truth," Bass said.

He says that Atlanta needs a moment to process and take this to heart before moving forward.

"It caused a lot of business owners to question how they operate and what their customer service looks like," Bass said.

He also says Lee’s influence has many customers questioning if they want to try to support local businesses. He says everyone in the culinary and customer service industry should be figuring out how to improve the overall experience for their guests.

Keith Lee’s videos profiling Atlanta have racked up millions of views. 

How TikTok food critic Keith Lee's video caused an uproar in Atlanta

TikTok food critic Keith Lee recently spent a few days in Atlanta and visited 9 restaurants.

Lee, who is from Las Vegas, became a TikTok star because of his food reviews. He has more than 14 million followers and over 600 million video views. Lee became a favorite because of his down-to-earth, honest reviews and his unique style of delivery. He almost always purchases the food anonymously and most of his reviews are done in his car outside the restaurant, which means that the restaurants have no idea that they are about to be reviewed. 

The local foodie community began freaking out as soon as they learned that Lee was planning to visit Atlanta. Many local food influencers and a few restaurants sent him suggestions on restaurants to visit before his arrival.

Based on those suggestions and a couple of his own discoveries, Lee visited The Atlanta Breakfast Club, The Seafood Menu, Juci Jerk, The Real Milk and Honey, The Dining Experience Atlanta, The Bodega, Jamaican Jerk Biz, Old Lady Gang and Toast on Lenox.

During his review of The Atlanta Breakfast Club, which was the first restaurant he visited, Lee was surprised by several of their rules, saying they were "unique" to him.

That wasn't the only restaurant where he ran into rules.

When he attempted to obtain food from The Real Milk and Honey, the rules prevented him from being able to place an order. The restaurant requires all to-go orders to be placed through DoorDash. But, DoorDash said the restaurant was closed. Since Lee was physically outside the restaurant, his wife attempted to go inside and place a to-go order. However, she was told that they were closed for a deep cleaning despite the door being open and other people picking up food.

"If you don’t like they rules, they not for you. For me and my family, the rules just weren’t for us," Lee said in his video.

Lee and his family didn't have the best experience when visiting the Old Lady Gang either.

According to Lee, he was told that they do not accept to-go orders on the weekend. When Lee's family tried to get a table, they were told the wait would be an hour and a half and reservations were not allowed.

When Lee went into the restaurant, he was immediately recognized and offered a table after the staff took photos with him. However, he told them he did not want any special treatment.

"Real Housewives" star Kandi Burruss, who owns Old Lady Gang, responded by making her own TikTok video, explaining the rules at the restaurant and saying that she hopes they will be able to serve him and his family the next time. She also said that she appreciated his attempt to try their food. 

Apparently, a similar situation happened at Toast on Lenox. When they arrived, they were told there was a 2-and-1/2 hour wait. However, the staff must have recognized Lee because they were soon told they could be seated immediately. Once again, Lee declined the offer. Instead, he insisted that the table that was suddenly available be given to someone who was waiting and another person waiting for food to be helped before he was. 

Lee's videos prompted a huge response on TikTok and other social media platforms about the rules and treatment he received with some people saying they would not patronize restaurants with too many restrictions. Lee, on the other hand, says that he does not want potential customers to bash restaurants based on his experiences and encourages diners to form their own opinions. In other words, he wasn't in Atlanta to hate on anyone. 

Lee's favorite restaurant he visited during his time in Atlanta appears to have been Juci Jerk. He appeared to be truly amazed by the taste of the food and the amazing customer service he received. He was also touched by the owner's story.

He was also extremely impressed by Jamaican Jerk Biz. Lee and his family stopped at the restaurant near closing time or right after closing. Without knowing who Lee was, they agreed to put together an order of food. Lee was so impressed that he matched their sales for the day.

Additionally, another restaurant named The Dining Experience Atlanta received high marks from Lee. Since his review, the restaurant, which has faced some hard times, reports that they have literally had people lining up outside to try their food. When Lee visited, the parking lot was practically empty. 
 

Restaurant mistakenly receives backlash after Keith Lee visit

A well-known TikTok food critic’s visit to metro Atlanta over the weekend has the owners and staff at one South Fulton restaurant receiving death threats.

Online personality Keith Lee shared his dining experience at several metro Atlanta restaurants over the weekend—including the Real Milk and Honey located in College Park. The owners of Milk and Honey on Cascade Road told FOX 5 TikTok users have been threatening the wrong business.

"Some people will call and just say we hate you…we’re never going to come there again," Service Manager Michael Hambrick said.

In the days since Lee’s viral post detailing a sour experience he and his family had at the Real Milk and Honey restaurant, Hambrick said their phone hasn’t stopped ringing.

The restaurant has received dozens of calls from people unaware that the two businesses, despite carrying similar names, have no affiliation. 

"People consuming thinking we’re giving awful service, or we’re discriminating against people," he explained. "The Real Milk and Honey, which is in College Park, has nothing to do with us."

Hambrick said the calls have ranged from harassing in nature to threats of violence against the staff. 

"They come here for their livelihoods, they’re feeding their families and things of that nature…they don’t come to work to be offended or threatened," he told FOX 5.

Because of the mix-up, he said they’re down about $4,000 in sales this week.

"It has affected our numbers greatly…we thrive in the business of knowing we have great and exceptional service," Hambrick said. 

Lee took to social media to try to clear up the confusion—condemning the threats and revealing his family also faced threats.

While Hambrick said they appreciated Lee’s efforts, they’re hoping business will bounce back soon. He said they haven’t yet filed a police report, but South Fulton police told FOX 5 they are looking into the threats. 

In response to a request for comment on the threats, a spokesperson for the Real Milk and Honey Restaurant said: "It’s unfortunate this situation has gotten extremely out of hand. We do not condone such drastic measures towards anyone…it’s also unfortunate people aren’t fact-checking before creating false narratives."

TikTok's food critic Keith Lee responds to Atlanta uproar

After the uproar over his TikTok reviews of Atlanta restaurants over the weekend, TikTok's favorite food critic Keith Lee felt the need to respond in a new video that he posted.

Lee says in the video that his opinions are asked for and all the narratives that are being pushed are "insane." Lee says that if he is too nice, then he is accused of lying. But if he says anything that is negative, he is being mean and needs to mind his own business and shut up. He also indicates that his family's safety and the safety of restaurant employees have been threatened as a result of his Atlanta restaurant reviews.

"I can't win for losing. I understand everybody gonna have an opinion on the situation. You can disagree with me. You can like what I say. Completely understand. I'm ok with that. But when my safety and my family safety are coming into play, that's where I draw the line at."

Lee says that he means no harm and he is not malicious. He also tells people, once again, to form their own opinions and not to direct hate at any particular restaurant based on his personal experience.

RESTAURANT MISTAKENLY RECEIVES BACKLASH AFTER KEITH LEE VISIT TO BUSINESS WITH SIMILAR NAME

He ends the video by saying, "I understand with great power comes great responsibility. God made me for this. I'm built for this. At the end of the day, I just want to eat food, walking my path. If you want to be on a journey with me, you are more than welcome." 

He also says, "Nobody's safety should be on the line. Not mine, not my family, not the restaurants that we go to. Relax. Like relax, bro. Like I understand, I get it. I get it. But at the end of the day, what you want me to do, you want me to lie? I can't do that. I'll walk away from everything before I lie. I'm telling you that right now. On 10 toes, everything. God bless me."

Additionally, The Real Milk & Honey restaurant has released a statement after Lee's unfortunate experience at the restaurant. This is after they reportedly posted a video claiming not to know anything about Keith Lee. That video has since been deleted. 

Lee's Atlanta videos have racked millions of views. And, videos posted in response to his reviews have also resulted in millions of video views. 

Even singer Cardi B has weighed in on dining in Atlanta, saying that she has to name-drop to get into most Atlanta restaurants and calling Lee's videos a "delightful adventure to watch."

FOX 5's Joyce Lupiani and Joi Dukes contributed to this article