" Thank you for tempt me , but I ’m a normal somebody , and I desire to be treated like everybody else . "
There’s some serious drama on #FoodTok, ya’ll! So, if you haven’t heard the nameKeith Lee, he’s a TikTok food critic who travels to various cities on his “Food Tour” to try local hotspots and give honest reviews of his experiences.
Well, Atlanta restaurant culture is currently under fire this week after Keith gave negative reviews to multiple Atlanta restaurants for their purportedly poor customer service and strict dining rules. The videos have received millions of views and have sparked a massive debate, with many agreeing with Keith, and others who are not happy with him.
This Keith Lee thing could n’t have gotten this big if citizenry did n’t already experience a path about Atlanta restaurant culture .
Strap in because I’m going to lay out everything that has happened so far:
So,Keith Leerecently traveled to Atlanta and decided to visit a popular restaurant called The Real Milk & Honey. He posted a TikTokreviewexplaining how he intended to eat at the location, but ended up leaving empty-handed. “As you can see, I have no food in my hands,” Keith said at the start of the video. “We attempted to call our order in, and we were greeted with an automatic message that said, ‘We do not take call-in orders.'”
Keith then went on to explain that he and his family decided to try the location in-person. “My family went inside, and they told them they were closed early for deep cleaning, yet the doors were wide open and people were going in and grabbing their orders.”
After Keith’s family explained what the restaurant had told them, Keith decided to enter the restaurant himself. “Afterwards, I did walk in, and they recognized me and attempted to service us, but I respectfully declined,” Keith said in the video.
After Keith’sreview of The Real Milk & Honeywent viral, receiving over 20 million views, users found and posted what appears to be a list of the unique “House Rules” at The Real Milk & Honey restaurant, with the first rule stating: “We guarantee great food…everything else is left to chance.”
The rules at one of the eating place Keith Lee dragged . Actually this the one he could n’t even get food at . Imagine lead out to eat , and the waitress puts this darn in front of you as a disclaimer . Btw , understand convention 3 and 9 and how contradictory they are . DRAG THEM KEITH ! 😂 pic.twitter.com/9nWlVfOY9X
In response to the online backlash, The Real Milk & Honey posted a now-deleted TikTok video shading Keith Lee for the negative review by sarcastically asking, “And who is this Keith Lee?”
So the Owner of The Real Milk & Honey Made a reply To Keith Lee … He seriously involve to hire a Commonwealth of Puerto Rico squad , because wtf was the purpose of this television ? It ’s only make matters bad for his business.pic.twitter.com/28ESA9Y71p
The restaurant released an apology statement after deleting their TikTok video and claimed that the viral list of “House Rules” for The Real Milk & Honey is “outdated.”
The Real Milk & Honey has release a statement after receiving a criticism from food reviewer Keith Lee : pic.twitter.com / RJXl3m4YQN
But, that didn’t stop users from meme-ing The Real Milk & Honey’s response:
The Real Milk & Honey waitress calling Keith Lee to come back after they realized it was himpic.twitter.com/KQMManNIk8
Other users took the drama a bit more seriously and highlighted what they saw as a “larger issue” in the Black community:
The reception from The Real Milk & Honey is a symptom of a larger issue : many businesses in our community do not respect us . They think they can treat us any path and we ’ll just keep coming back . Beauty supply stores , restaurant , gas stations . We must quit fall in them our clam .
Well, Keith’s next stop in Atlanta was the Old Lady Gang restaurant owned by Grammy-winning songwriter and Atlanta Housewife Kandi Burruss. In Keith’svideo reviewthat has received over 12 million views, he described running into similar customer-service issues, including special treatment due to his influencer status.
Old Lady Gang gustatory sensation test 💕 would you hear it 💕 # foodcritic
At the start of thevideo, Keith claimed that representatives from the Old Lady Gang reached out to him to visit the restaurant as soon as he arrived to Atlanta, so he decided to try it with his family: “We called the number that they had connected on Yelp three times — no answer. We tried to order through DoorDash, and they said it was temporarily closed.”
Keith then explained how he again decided to send a family member inside the restaurant to see how an average customer would be treated: “My family asked how long it would take to be seated, and they said an hour to an hour and a half,” Keith said in the video.
After hearing the wait time, Keith decided to enter the restaurant himself. After taking photos with supporters who were dining, he claimed he was approached by an employee and told a table would be ready for him within five minutes. “I don’t want any special treatment. I want to be treated like everybody else,” Keith said in the video.
Keith asked the employee how she was able to seat him so quickly when he was told the average wait time was an hour and a half? Keith claimed she responded saying, “Nobody on the waitlist came when I called, so it’s first come, first serve now.” Keith pointed out in the video, “My family had attempted to eat there less than two minutes earlier.”
Keith decided to decline the table due to the seemingly unequal treatment between himself and the average customer. “To be transparent, I’m frustrated. Me and my family are just trying to eat food… I’m a normal person, and I just want to be treated like everybody else,” Keith explained in the video.
In response to the online Old Lady Gang critique,Kandi Burruss took to TikTokto address Keith’s review, saying: “It is very unfortunate that we couldn’t serve Keith and his family, we would have loved to.” She explained the reasoning behind some of the restaurant rules and ended the video stating: “Thanks to Keith for even trying to show up and show us love and maybe next time, we’ll get a chance to serve you.”
Of course, the memes were right around the corner:
Not Keith Lee calling out Old Lady Gang too!!!!pic.twitter.com / FIY0R9Tvtr
Keith Lee on his Old Lady Gang reviewpic.twitter.com/4DBNhgf4F4
Thousands of users have been in overwhelming support of Keith Lee who has seemingly given a voice to everyday diners who feel some Black-owned restaurants in Atlanta don’t treat their regular customers fairly.
Exactly . We literally write review , speak with managers or owners , tell tribe not to patronize businesses … but nothing change . Thank you Martin Luther Keith ♥ ️
Another user agreed, writing, “You don’t even treat your Black customers right unless there is clout involved.”
We have fateful excellence’d , black owned , and “ the culture ” ourselves into a recess . That poop is guess to be a mind-set , not a sales tactic . opprobrious this and black that but you do n’t even do by your black customer right unless there is punch involved .
Rapper Cardi B, who lives in Atlanta, Georgia, weighed in on the debate on her Instagram, saying: “I feel like they [Atlanta restaurants] don’t like making money. They don’t like people, they don’t like customers, they just don’t like it.” She went on to explain that she struggles to order food from many restaurants who have extensive rules and odd hours. “I feel bad for Atlanta residents, thank you Jesus I’m famous, but even me being famous, it’s like a hassle!” Cardi said.
Cardi B reacts to Keith Lee ’s Atlanta eatery reviews.pic.twitter.com/JjpZIgOtYY
Not everyone has been on Keith’s side, though. One user argued that Keith should’ve appreciated the table offered to him due to his influencer status, claiming that: “Keith Lee doesn’t know how to use clout correctly.” Another user countered their statement, saying: “Keith Lee wants restaurants to service customers equitably, and ya’ll don’t understand that because ya’ll are clout chasers and not community builders.”
Keith Lee want restaurants to service customers equitably , and y’ all do n’t understand that because y all are punch chasers and not community builders.https://t.co/s4E884qiue
So yes, there’s been a lot of controversy, but the Keith Lee vs. Atlanta restaurants tweets have been everywhere, so let’s check out some of the funniest ones:
Keith Lee and his family were in Atlanta for a week and only had 3 meal . All you may do is laugh.pic.twitter.com/6iZiWjizLk
“ Wait is 1 time of day and 30 mins”Keith Lee walks inRestaurant Staff : pic.twitter.com / axAXnZAt8 m
https://t.co/SQSPG4Yhl5pic.twitter.com/eKRsG5x1rB
Keith Lee to the Atlanta restaurant manufacture after saying “ God is amazing”:pic.twitter.com / o3l0nLeAz3
And finally…
now we just need a keith lee for tomentum styler . lets get to the ROOT!pic.twitter.com / fTkkZIOAM8
