Virginia Glaze

  ❘   Published: 2024-02-02T21:06:07  ❘   Updated: 2024-02-02T21:06:19

The drama surrounding TikTok star Keith Lee’s review of Dallas-based food truck ‘Sweetly Seasoned’ has sparked backlash toward a different restaurant with a similar name in the same area.

Keith Lee is TikTok’s resident celebrity food reviewer. His appearances in cities across America are almost always preceded by a massive hubbub as restaurant owners scramble to put their best foot forward in preparation for his patronage.

Lee’s take on restaurants has sparked a firestorm of debate on social media in the past; for instance, his experience with businesses in Atlanta, Georgia unleashed a massive conversation around their supposedly difficult business practices, even earning the attention of rapper Cardi B.

Now, yet another Keith Lee food critique has spawned a viral moment, as the MMA fighter-turned-food reviewer’s video about Dallas-based food truck ‘Sweetly Seasoned’ has ignited a wave of backlash against the business — and another restaurant that’s not even involved in the drama, whatsoever.

Keith Lee ‘Sweetly Seasoned’ food truck review drama explained

The whole ordeal began after Lee visited Sweetly Seasoned and decided to bless the owner, her son, and two individuals doing hair outside the truck with a massive tip.

In his video, Lee can be heard telling the owner, Kim Viverette, to charge his card for $4,000. He expressed that $1K should go to a barber, another $1K to a woman doing braids, and the rest to Viverette and her son to help their business.

However, Viverette did not honor Lee’s request and instead kept the entire $4K — much to the internet’s chagrin. Commenters across social media are putting the small business on blast, demanding that Viverette pay up.

It seems that the viral nature of the incident has resulted in a bizarre kerfuffle, as another Dallas-based restaurant with a similar name has now come under fire as netizens mistakenly presumed them to be the same business.

Seasoned Street Food under fire amid Sweetly Seasoned backlash

Seasoned Street Food has found itself in the center of the Sweetly Seasoned debate and has clarified in a press release that they are not in any way affiliated with the food truck.

According to the release, Seasoned Street Food’s owner, Jonathan Evola, “woke up to a flood of nasty phone calls, emails, and negative reviews, all stemming from a misunderstanding.”

“It’s disheartening to see our business facing such backlash, especially when we have no connection to the incident in question,” Evola stated.

“We understand the frustration, but it’s essential for our customers to know that Seasoned Street Food in Dallas had no involvement in the unfortunate situation that unfolded with the Fort Worth Food Truck.”

Thus far, Lee has yet to publicly respond to the situation, and Viverette maintains she “did the right thing” by keeping the cash.