Food critic Keith Lee’s next stops are D.C., Maryland and Virginia

Keith Lee is coming to the DMV.

Why it matters: The food critic and TikTok star has the power to dramatically change a restaurant's future with just one review — a phenomenon that's become known as the " Keith Lee Effect. "

• Lee's 2023 critiques of Atlanta's restaurants, for instance, caused a firestorm in that city's food scene .

The big picture: Lee announced early Monday morning on TikTok that "very soon, we gon be in the DMV."

• And he wants recommendations for family-owned places that have "great food and great customer service but could use some marketing, for absolutely free to them."

Zoom in: To those who aren't familiar, the DMV area stretches as far as Baltimore and captures most of Northern Virginia.

• Unfortunately, Richmond technically doesn't make the cut.
• But that hasn't stopped people from shouting Richmond spots like Mama J's , Croaker's Spot and Ronnie's BBQ in Varina.

Other restaurants being tagged so far:

• Dukem Ethiopian Restaurant , which has locations in D.C. and Baltimore.
• Ekiben Baltimore .
• Royal Spice , a Nepalese restaurant near the BWI airport.

What's next: Lee said the most popular restaurants that locals say "embody the food scene" will soon be up for a poll on his Instagram .

Sabrina's thought bubble: It's time for Richmonders to (respectfully) flood his mentions with Richmond recs and convince him to take the Amtrak down to the 804.