Popular Tik Tok restaurant critic Keith Lee is in Florida once again and foodies across the state are eagerly awaiting his next move.
The social media food reviewer with over 16.4 million TikTok followers and 2 million Instagram followers surprised Jacksonville with a guest appearance Saturday at the ninth annual "Duval Day" event, hosted by musician and comedian Lil Duval.
Lee was met with excitement in his comment sections, but most are eager to see what this means for their hometowns. One TikTok user commented: "As someone in Jacksonville, I don't know whether to be excited or scared for what's to come."
Who is Keith Lee?
The 27-year-old mixed martial arts fighter turned family man and food critic is widely known for reviewing family-owned businesses serving diverse cuisines recommended to him from social media fans.
The TikTok star is revered for the "Keith Lee effect," which has proven to either resurrect struggling businesses and bring them good fortune with candid reviews of menu items, or prompt restaurant owners to reassess both their menus and hospitality styles.
One of his most popular videos with over 54 million views is at Frankensons Pizzeria, a struggling Las Vegas pizza business that had lines out the door weeks following Lee's review. The pizzeria got featured in their local news and now has over 30,000 Instagram followers.
Often reviewing fast-casual cuisines from the comfort of his car or sitting in his daughter's children-sized Paw Patrol chair, with his hand propped up, where he "tries it and rates it on a scale of one to ten" has opened up the discussion about the food industry based strictly on service and taste.
Some love him, while others have been left with a bad taste in their mouths from the food reviewer, especially some restaurant owners in Atlanta who he exposed for what he termed their poor customer service.
What Florida cities have seen the TikTok critic?
This week, Lee made a four-minute TikTok post from Miami, where he filmed an "interactive taste test" at Omakai Sushi.
In the post, which garnered over 2 million views as of Thursday, he deemed the cuisine as "some of the best sushi I've ever had in my entire life," giving a nod of approval for its shellfish free "Omakase Experience Box," with 21 different pieces of fresh fish.
Although the Las Vegas-based social media star says he will not be completing another city-based food tour for now, foodies can't help but question if he will make a quick debut in their cities as he makes his departure from the Sunshine State once again.
The reviewer has made his way to Florida before, most recently in May, as he visited a handful of mom-and-pop establishments in Miami, where he seems to primarily keep his visits. Otherwise, he's only visited Orlando, or at least that he's shared online.
Many are curious to see if he'll do just a little more exploring on this visit to see what the rest of the state has to offer.
Kyla A Sanford covers dining and entertainment for the Tallahassee Democrat. New restaurant opening up, special deals, or events coming up? Let me know at ksanford@tallahassee.com. You can also email your suggestions for a future TLH Eats restaurant profile!
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