Those on the foodie side of TikTok most likely know the name Keith Lee.
Lee made a name for himself when he began publishing food reviews in Las Vegas. In his videos, he reviews a restaurant from the comfort of his car, rating each meal on a scale of one to ten. As of April 2024, he has 16.1 million followers on TikTok.
In one of his more recent videos, Lee announced that he and his family will be heading to Toronto.
@keith_lee125 FamiLee Food Tour 💕 would you try it? 💕 #foodcritic ♬ Original sound – Keith Lee
“If you are in Toronto, Canada and you or someone you know has a mom and pop shop that offers great food and great customer service but may need marketing completely free for them, please let me know said Lee. He then invited his followers to DM him or tag these restaurants in the comments of his video
Many people and businesses were very pleased to hear that Lee was making his way to our beautiful country, with Food Network Canada commenting, “Someone pulled out the RED CARPET for our Critic King!!! 🙌”
“I am SO excited to see these Toronto videos. There are so many great food options here 😭🔥👏🏻,” said another user.
However, some users said that Lee might be surprised if he comes to Canada, and one person even said: “Keith, I would like to apologize on behalf of our country for the prices you are about to face 😭.”
Lee's videos are so popular that several restaurants where he leaves a positive review see a surge in customers the next day, which his fans refer to as the “Keith Lee effect.”
Recently, Lee shined a light on Atlanta's troubled restaurant scene when he faced some controversy during one of his culinary tours there.
To remain anonymous and not receive special treatment, Lee sends family members to pick up food for evaluations. During a visit to The Real Milk and Honey restaurant in Atlanta, his family was turned away. But when Lee went in to pick up the food, he was immediately given special treatment, which he refused.
The restaurant later mocked Lee in a now-deleted video, claiming not to know who he was. The restaurant was met with significant backlash from Lee's fans and has since apologized. This wasn't the only restaurant Lee had problems with during his visit to Atlanta.
This controversy garnered so much attention that even rapper Cardi B joined the discussion in an Instagram Live video, saying that Atlanta has some of the craziest hurdles to overcome just to order food.
“It's almost like these businesses aren't trying to make money,” she said, pointing out that she had to tell people to give her name just to pick up food.
Lee has also traveled to Houston and New York to review local restaurants, giving preference to Black-owned and family-run restaurants.