Viral food influencer Keith Lee is touring DMV restaurants, often leaving tips in the thousands of dollars for businesses in need.
Why it matters: The TikTok star boosts business at restaurants across the country — known as the " Keith Lee Effect " — and targets struggling, minority- and family-owned businesses to lend support.
Catch up quick: Lee, a Las Vegas-based mixed martial arts fighter from Detroit , turned to critiquing restaurants in the pandemic.
- His TikTok has 16.5 million followers. When he announced a DMV trip seeking suggestions for mom-and-pops that have "great food and service, but could use the marketing," over 20,000 replies flooded in.
Zoom in: Lee is known to pay his own way and remain anonymous when ordering. Reviews, often posted over takeout in his car, rate dishes on a scale of 1-10. So far in the DMV he's reviewed:
🍜 Okonomi Asian Grille , a new fast-casual in Fairfax that's fallen victim to a fake DoorDash scam . Lee gave some bowls 8.5/10.
🚚 Flavor Hive , an Alexandria food truck where customers BYO chips and get toppings for $10 (Lee bestowed mixed reviews , Axios D.C. liked it better ).
🇪🇹 Dukem , one of U Street's classic Ethiopian restaurants. A family member made a viral TikTok about their restaurant struggles. Lee crowned it "The best food we've had in D.C." (short ribs, 9/10).
🍗 Hong Kong Carryout , a Southeast takeout where Lee got a D.C. must-try — fried rice, wings, mumbo sauce — that he said tastes like McDonald's sweet-and-sour ( not wrong , 8.6/10).
🍦 Smize & Dream , Tyra Banks ' new Woodley Park ice cream shop (7.5/10) where Lee left $1,600 to give out free ice cream to customers.
The intrigue: Lee often leaves generous tips with specific instructions. In his posts, he's announced gifting $2,000 to Okonomi to pay for free food for customers, plus $1,000 to help with losses from theft.
- At Dukem, he tells staff he'll tip them $500 each while also paying for the restaurant to give out free food. At Hong Kong Carryout, he paid for neighbors to eat for free.
Friction point: Lee, a teetotaler, criticized D.C.'s dining scene while reviewing Cane on H Street, saying that the city's restaurants are all "geared directly towards alcohol," and that, "If you don't drink, it seems like it's slim pickings."
- It didn't go over well .
- Lee clapped back at the critics who accused him of not doing his homework while also showing several bad dining experiences at unnamed spots — smelly fish, an unclean food truck — that he declined to review because "it's not constructive at all."
What's next: Lee is heading to Baltimore, but he's still dropping D.C. reviews. Jerk At Nite owner Denville Myrie tells Axios that Lee visited his Caribbean carryout in Northeast and tipped $2,000 for the restaurant to give out free food today, starting around noon.
- Money may also help cover costs from a devastating fire that closed the H Street location, which they're hoping to reopen.
What they're saying: Myrie, who lobbied hard to get Lee in the door, says that Jerk received over 230 orders this week with Keith Lee's name — customers whom he suspects wanted favorable treatment, but a Keith Lee boost all the same.
- "You don't have to be Keith Lee," the Howard alum tells Axios. "We come from such humble beginnings, everyone is important to us."
Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect that Lee visited Hong Kong Carryout's Southeast location (not Northeast).
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