Viral food critic Keith Lee to visit North Carolina restaurants
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Keith Lee, a viral TikTok food critic known for highlighting locally owned restaurants, recently announced his latest food tour will include stops in North Carolina.
Why it matters: One video to his 17 million TikTok followers can make a huge impact on local restaurants, good or bad; the phenomenon is known as the "Keith Lee effect."
Driving the news: The Las Vegas-based food influencer announced in a video, which already has over 600K views, that he'll visit Raleigh, Charlotte, Durham, Greensboro and Asheville.
- He'll also visit Charleston and Greenville, South Carolina, during his food tour.
- His first visit was to Hibachi Papi in Clayton; the video review already has more than 1.3 million views and nearly 200K likes in a day.
What they're saying: "It being so many spots in the Carolinas that people want us to go to, it's hard for me to just pick one. And I feel like it wouldn't do it justice to Carolina," Lee said in the video.
Context: Over the weekend, Lee announced that he'd visit the Carolinas, but he couldn't narrow it down to a specific city. He usually visits one city at a time, but because of the overwhelming number of suggestions, he will be visiting multiple.
- In an Instagram poll, 17K followers voted for him to visit Raleigh.
- Another 6K followers wanted him to visit Durham restaurants.
- Over 10K people sent direct messages telling him to come to Charlotte.
- Thousands of other followers asked him to check out places in Charleston, South Carolina.
State of play: Several restaurants in New Orleans, Houston, Washington D.C., Maryland and Virginia have already experienced the "Keith Lee effect," with many spots experiencing large crowds after a viral review.
- However, some reviews, including a few in Atlanta, sparked backlash that ignited larger conversations around the food scene in the city.
The big picture: With massive audiences on social media and immediate responses from fans, you could argue that food influencers like Lee have garnered as much credibility as Michelin guides.
Case in point: Camp North End food stall Eggroll Company recently sold out six days in a row, drawing crowds in part because of a recent viral review from North Carolina-based influencer Rashad Mooreman (AKA Mr. Chimetime). Now, they're expanding to a bigger spot.
- Barstool Sports' CEO, Dave Portnoy, known for his popular pizza reviews, was in the Charlotte area recently and reviewed five area restaurants, many of which have already seen an uptick in traffic.
What's next: It's unclear how long Lee's North Carolina food tour will last, but Lee urges his followers to send suggestions for spots that "have great food, great customer service and need the marketing," Lee said in the video.
- You can send a direct message on social media, email or comment directly under the video if you have a restaurant recommendation.
Our thought bubble: Lee should check out our best restaurants guide for inspo.