Keith Lee, a popular food critic on TikTok, recently visited several Black-owned restaurants in Atlanta and — as usual — shared what he called his “good and not-so-good” experiences. The reaction from viewers, however, set the city’s food scene ablaze, prompting Black diners to discuss their grievances about the hurdles of trying to eat in the ATL, public responses from the restaurants Lee visited, and some choice words from Cardi B.

Lee, known for his mild-mannered delivery in his video reviews, quickly expanded his platform on TikTok late last year, after his positive reviews of struggling Las Vegas-area restaurants went viral. Now he has more than 14 million followers, and his influence — which can send droves of customers to a small business with the post of a TikTok — has been coined the “Keith Lee Effect,” or being “Keith Lee’d.”

In Atlanta last month for a series of taste tests with his family, Lee said he went to restaurants that invited him to review their food or that locals in Atlanta repeatedly recommended. His experience echoed the unsavory aspects of Atlanta dining culture, such as dress codes, that residents and visitors have said they’ve despised for years and that only famous figures might be able to bypass. Diners have long complained that some of the area’s Black restaurant owners are more concerned with chasing “clout” from prominent names than providing the best dining experience for all.

“Here’s why it’s hard to get [Lee] to review your food good,” content creator Kevin “KevOnStage” Fredericks said in a video on X, formerly Twitter, referencing Lee’s tactic of using family members to order food or request a table to avoid special treatment. “In order to treat him well,” he said, “you would have to treat every customer well, and well that’s just going to take too much doggone time.”

Lee’s first stop after landing in the Big Peach was Atlanta Breakfast Club, where he described the service as “interesting.” “While the people were nice,” he said, “the rules they had set were very unique to me.”

He and his family were told they’d have to order and wait outside if they were going to get takeout as they had planned. When they chose to dine in instead, Lee said, the waiter told them their entire party had to be seated to be served anything, even water — and the group was only allowed to order once.

While Lee gave middle-of-the-road ratings for the French toast, breakfast bowl, biscuit and salmon croquettes he tried, he was shocked to hear from a family member that the restaurant charges $1 for butter. “The butter a dollar? At a breakfast place?” Lee said before glaring into the camera.

The biggest social media uproar began after Lee left the Real Milk & Honey empty-handed, despite him pleading with viewers not to send negative comments to the restaurant. When he called to place a to-go order, he said, he was greeted by a message machine that said the restaurant accepts to-go orders only through DoorDash. On DoorDash, the restaurant was listed as closed to orders at 4 p.m. — one hour before the restaurant’s advertised closing time. When Lee’s family decided to walk in without him, they were told it was closing early for a deep cleaning. When Lee later walked in himself, the staff recognized him and offered him a table, but he declined.

“Usually when celebrities come in, they want to be treated like that,” he later explained 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 initial response to Lee’s video — a skit in which restaurant staff pretended not to know who Lee was and brushed off his critique — drew enormous backlash.

In a Tuesday statement posted to its social media, the restaurant 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 restaurant amended its house rules, which were circulated online amid the widespread criticism. The Real Milk & Honey lifted its ban on parties of five or more, but it still does not take reservations, has no waiting area and doesn’t allow customizations when ordering. Milk and Honey Brunch Restaurants, also in Atlanta, clarified that it is not affiliated with the Real Milk & Honey after the restaurant said managers and staffers received threats.

At Old Lady Gang, a restaurant owned by singer and reality-TV star Kandi Burruss, Lee encountered similar issues. The restaurant doesn’t take to-go orders or reservations on weekends, so Lee’s family members were told they’d be waiting for up to an hour and a half for seats. Moments later, Lee walked in and was offered a five-minute wait for a table after the hostess said those on the wait list ahead of him didn’t pick up when she called. He told Old Lady Gang he would eat elsewhere.

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 said. “But he’s right: We don’t take to-go orders on the weekends. … We don’t want to overwhelm our kitchen.”

She also defended the hostess who offered Lee a much shorter wait time, saying the restaurant tries to look out for its supporters.

Criticism of Atlanta’s restaurant scene quickly spread from Lee’s comment section to all over X, TikTok and Instagram.

“They create all of these house rules in order to feel exclusive and bourgeoisie,” said 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 said in an Instagram Live that she feels bad for Atlanta residents because of the hassle and restrictions at some of the city’s restaurants, including a lack of pickup or delivery options, unpredictable hours — if they’re open at all on a given day — and long wait times.

“I feel like Atlanta restaurants — they don’t like to make money. They don’t like people. They don’t like they customers,” she said. “They treat you like they was doing you a favor.”

The rapper said she’s told people picking up her food to name-drop her to get better service.

Several smaller Atlanta businesses that locals love, such as Juci Jerk, the Dining Experience and the Bodega, won Lee over during his visits, despite not knowing beforehand they were serving the family of a popular food TikToker. After Lee praised the restaurants’ customer service and jerk chicken, Rasta pasta and nachos in his videos, they proudly showed off their “Keith Lee Approved” statuses and increased business in social media posts.

Lee was so impressed by Jamaican Jerk Biz, which stayed open late for his family, he matched the business’s sales for the day, tipping nearly $3,000. “You stayed late, and you had no idea it was us,” he said in his video. “I appreciate you.”

Jamaican Jerk Biz’s owner, who burst into tears when Lee walked through the door, said on social media that she was filled with hope after his visit: “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.”