- Keith Lee is a TikTok-famous food reviewer with 8.1 million followers, based in Las Vegas.
- On January 3, Lee reviewed a struggling family restaurant, saying their food was "delicious."
A TikTok-famous food reviewer who said a struggling family business made one of the best chicken wings he's ever had created a huge influx of customers for the store, the owner told local news outlet KTNV.
Keith Lee, who is based in Las Vegas and often makes content taste-tasting food from small businesses, posted a review of a local independent restaurant called Frankenson's Pizzeria on January 3.
The TikToker, who has 8.1 million followers, started his video by saying that an employee from the family-owned eatery had reached out to him, asking if he could try the food and post it on TikTok because business has been "slow" and they "can't afford rent."
@keith_lee125 Frankensons Pizzeria Taste test would you try it ? #foodcritic ♬ original sound - Keith Lee
Lee said he went to the store to buy some food, and had a conversation with the owner, telling him he was a food reviewer who was going to make a "completely honest" video about the store.
Lee proceeded to try various different dishes from the pizzeria in his video, rating most items at least an eight out of 10.
When he tried the fifth dish, which was an order of lemon pepper sauce chicken wings, Lee bit into the wing and said, "This is one of the best wings I've ever had. This a 10."
He then moved on to the pepperoni pizza and rated it a 9.8 out of 10, saying, "This is why I started making videos like this."
"There is no way you should be behind on rent, or struggling to pay rent," Lee said in the video, adding, "That food is delicious."
The TikToker's video went hugely viral on the platform, receiving 31 million views, and many commenters expressed support for the business.
"Not me wanting to go to Vegas just to try all of Keith's recommendations," said one comment.
"All my Vegas people go eat at Frankenson's pizzeria. Help out this family owned restaurant," said another.
Lee posted a follow-up video on January 4, saying that Frankeson's TikTok page gained tens of thousands of followers in the 24 hours after his review was posted, and that the store was "slammed" with customers.
@keith_lee125 #stitch with @keith_lee125 Frankensons pizzeria 24 hour update and story time Thank you @cheyvegas for the videos would you try it ? #foodcritic ♬ original sound - Keith Lee
Frank Steele, the owner of Frankenson's, said that Lee's review created a huge increase in orders and in-person customers at his store in an interview with Las Vegas-based ABC affiliate KTNV.
"Our phone never stopped ringing. I've sold more lemon pepper wings in the last two days than I have in the past four months," he told the outlet, adding, "I have people coming in from Iowa, people from California, Lake Havasu. I had people come down from Utah, all because of this video."
Steele told the outlet said that he opened the restaurant four months ago, but that business was a "struggle" and he was only making around $400 a day before Lee posted his review of the store.
"The response has been so overwhelming. I'm working to get stocked up on supplies and food. I am bringing everyone in to help. All I can say is thank you. This has been life-changing," he continued.
@keith_lee125 3 day life update Thank you. God Is Amazing, God Bless You #foodcritic ♬ original sound - Keith Lee
On January 8, Lee reacted to a clip of Steele's interview with KTNV in a TikTok video, saying, "That wasn't about me. That wasn't my moment," adding, "Watching him be that thankful and cry on national news was more than enough for me."
Lee posted a video of himself visiting Frankenson's on January 9, filming large queues inside the store, and saying hi to Steele, who Lee wrote in the caption has been working 16-hour shifts in order to meet the level of demand.
@keith_lee125 Frankensons Pizzeria 4 day update @keith_lee125 2-3 hour wait times ALL DAY , line down the street , him and his family are working 16 hour shifts EVERYDAY God is amazing, God bless you all #foodcritic ♬ original sound - Keith Lee
"God is amazing. God bless you all," Lee captioned the post.
Lee's TikTok account has exploded in popularity since his review of Frankeson's went viral. He gained 800,000 followers in a single day on January 7, according to analytics tracker SocialBlade, and attracted the attention of the world's biggest YouTuber, known as MrBeast, who commented on one of his TikToks to ask if he could send him some products from his chocolate brand.
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