- Kevin Hart asked TikTok food-reviewer Keith Lee to try his plant-based fast-food restaurant.
- Lee, who has previously helped businesses sell out, obliged, but said he'd be completely honest.
TikTok-famous food reviewer Keith Lee gave Kevin Hart's vegan fast food restaurant glowing ratings, saying he was "shocked" by how much the food tasted like meat.
In a TikTok video posted on May 8, Lee explained that the Hollywood celebrity reached out to him, hoping he would review his restaurant on TikTok, where Lee often goes viral and causes businesses to sell out after complimenting their food in his videos.
"I'm not a huge fan of vegan food, and I'm very vocal about that," Lee said in the clip, adding that he would be completely honest about his thoughts on the food from the restaurant.
@keith_lee125 Hart House taste test would you try it ? #foodcritic ♬ original sound - Keith Lee
Hart rose to fame as a stand-up comedian before pivoting to film and TV. He most recently starred in the Netflix heist comedy film "Lift" which premiers in August. He opened his first restaurant location in August 2022, offering plant-based versions of fast-food classics. He now has two locations in Los Angeles and another two are coming soon, according to the website.
"I'm a personal fan of Kevin Hart, but I'm also more of a fan of being real than I am a fan of anybody," Lee said in his video, adding that the comedian had reached out to him, asking him to be "100% real."
The TikToker first tried the fries, which he raved about, saying they were perfectly seasoned, before moving onto the restaurant's crispy "chicken" sandwich, taking a bite into it and erupting into laughter.
"I fully fully fully came into this thinking I was gonna hate this," Lee said, adding, "This is amazing. You shocked, I'm shocked."
Lee said the vegan burger had a "pleasant" texture, and that the product tasted like a regular chicken sandwich.
"If you gave me that and didn't tell me it was vegan, I would have no idea," he said, scoring it a 9.3 out of 10.
The condiments didn't fare as well — Lee gave the buffalo sauce a 2, saying it contained too much vinegar, and the special Hart House sauce a 5.
Lee's review, which received 16 million TikTok views, had commenters saying it made them feel inspired to try more vegan food and to go to Hart House specifically. Others thanked the TikToker for insisting that he wanted to be honest with his review, instead of automatically giving it a good rating because the owner was a celebrity.
@keith_lee125 God Is Amazing the price went #foodcritic ♬ original sound - Keith Lee
In a follow-up video on Lee's account, the TikToker could be seen standing next to Kevin Hart, who explained why he wanted to collaborate with him.
"I really wanted to value someone's opinion that people hold on such a standard in today's time," he said.
Hart said that when Lee told him he would be honest in his post, he responded by telling Lee he did not want any favors, adding, "I'm going out on a limb because I think my food is that good."
"The fact that you gave us an amazing review man, I'm so thankful. I'm so happy. And more importantly, that's how much I respect what you do. I value the things you've been doing, and the response people have given you is well deserved," Hart told Lee, as he bowed his head down and dubbed him "the king of taste."
Lee, who has 12.4 million followers on TikTok, has skyrocketed to fame in recent months. Since the beginning of the year, he has gained more than 5 million followers on the platform, according to analytics tracker SocialBlade.
One of his most viral moments was in February, when he filmed a video collaboration with the world's biggest YouTuber, MrBeast. The pair reviewed a struggling family business together, and MrBeast gave the staff a briefcase that he said contained $10,000 in cash during the shoot.
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