Atlanta’s food scene has been under the microscope since a viral food critic came to town with bad reviews — and now, some of these places are promising change.
Keith Lee, who has a massive TikTok following and whose food reviews have turned small, unseen businesses into out-the-door favorites brought his talents to the ATL last week — and had a lot to say.
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He did a number of video reviews … and a good handful of them actually ended up being retrospectives into how difficult it turned out to be to order takeout at a bunch of well-known/popular establishments in town. His stops included The Real Milk & Honey, and Kandi Burruss’s Old Lady Gang restaurant — both experiences, he says, left him without food.
Apparently, there are a ton of “rules” Keith says he and his family had to go through to even place an order or to be seated — stemming from what he characterizes as bad customer service — and since calling these places out … a lot of folks have chimed in to agree.
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In the aftermath of these reviews — and amid all the discourse that’s followed — there seems to be a consensus … it’s kinda difficult to dine in Atlanta, and for no real good reason, either.
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Kandi addressed part of Keith’s critique — the fact he and his crew couldn’t easily order takeout — and said her restaurant puts the focus and resources on those who eat in. However, she didn’t address his claim he was only offered a table because of his name.
In any case … Kandi welcomes him back and hopes she and the OLG team can get another shot. The folks who own The Real Milk & Honey (which is a franchised restaurant) took a slightly different approach … but ultimately landed with a bit of a clarification/apology too.
After one of the RMH honchos reportedly torched Keith on a local radio station — in trying to defend his restaurant’s stringent practices — the restaurant itself issued a lengthy statement Tuesday … seemingly admitting to being in the wrong.
The corporate account says they’ve done some soul-searching over the course of this week-long saga … and now, The Real Milk & Honey is vowing to tweak how they operate.
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They don’t exactly say what’s in store — but it appears Keith’s review made ’em think twice.
BTW, this whole chapter took over part of the Internet for a good several days … and it got some big-time celebs weighing in on the supposed Atlanta food scene “problem” — including Cardi B, who in no uncertain terms sided with Keith … and thanked him for exposing it.
As many have noted … the Keith Lee effect is real, for better or worse. Take note, folks — he critiques food AND customer service … and he’ll let ya know if he’s not feeling it!