Entertainment

Keith Lee Tried To Review Some Atlanta Restaurants On TikTok. All Hell Broke Loose

Published

1 year ago

2023-11-03

Kiara Grace

Most eateries are usually ecstatic when Keith Lee reviews their meal.

Lee delivers exposure that has helped turn around certain businesses, with lines out the door and accolades from happy owners, with over 14.5 million followers on TikTok alone.

Then Lee arrived in Atlanta.

His visit sparked viral videos, death threats, replies from Grammy-winning performers, and, according to some, a long-overdue reckoning for Atlanta’s culinary industry.

Lee, a 27-year-old former MMA fighter, has become so famous for evaluating restaurants that it is now his full-time job.

Unlike some food influencers compensated for their reviews and thoughts, Lee claims in his videos that he pays for his meals and even sends family members to pick up his orders so he isn’t recognized and treated differently.

The Las Vegas-based everyman reviewer has a distinct style: he consumes the meal in his vehicle and records his emotions while always pushing his followers not to rely solely on his experience and to try out the venues for themselves.

Lee also attempts to discourage his followers from becoming critical of businesses whose food he hasn’t rated favorably on social media, frequently pointing out that every firm can have a bad day and that people rely on their business for a living.

His focus on small companies and food trucks, frequently owned by Black people, has endeared him to restaurant owners who have received positive feedback. Having him taste your meal is known online as “Keith Lee-d.”

Most eateries are usually ecstatic when Keith Lee reviews their meal.

So there was initial enthusiasm among Lee’s supporters when they learned he was visiting Atlanta as part of a cuisine tour he and his family were on throughout the country.

Atlanta has recently been a culinary destination, with many “Top Chef” finalists and celebrity-owned restaurants. Even more recently, the city received its first Michelin-starred eateries.

Mike Jordan, who has covered the Atlanta culinary scene since 2009, told CNN that the city is a natural place for the industry to develop because, in Georgia, “we eat everywhere we go.”

“I mean, petrol station food is big in the South, and Atlanta strip clubs have not just food, but very good food,” Jordan said. “I remember people saying, ‘Oh my gosh, why would you ever eat at a strip club?'” And we’ve gotten to the point where it’s well acknowledged that Magic City (a legendary Atlanta strip club) has very, very, very good wings.”

Things could have improved when Lee tried to obtain dinner from other Atlanta-area restaurants.

Lee consented to be interviewed by CNN at first but later changed his mind, requesting that some of the businesses he visited be allowed to speak instead. However, on his social media platforms — he has over 1 million Instagram followers — he shared a story about being unable to receive service at The Real Milk and Honey in College Park, a suburb south of Atlanta.

When Lee’s family went to order dinner, the staff told them the restaurant was shutting early for a deep cleaning despite the doors being open and other customers picking up meals, according to his review.

Most eateries are usually ecstatic when Keith Lee reviews their meal.

Lee stated that he chose to go in on his own and that when the personnel recognized him, they offered him service, which he declined.

“I pay for my food just like everyone else.” “I walk up in the same spots as everyone else,” Lee explained, explaining why he was doing a food-free review. “We’re all regular people.” Respectfully, don’t do it now if you won’t do it then.”

Lee feels he was treated differently when he tried to eat at Old Lady Gang, an Atlanta restaurant owned by Grammy-winning songwriter, musician, and “Real Housewives of Atlanta” star Kandi Burruss.

Lee stated he took his family into the restaurant and was told there was no carryout on weekends and that there would be a wait of more than an hour. However, Lee stated that he went inside again, was recognized, and was informed they could be seated immediately away.

When the TikTok inventor queried how his group was suddenly seated so swiftly, he was told that the persons on the list before his family had not reacted when their name was announced, leaving a space. He declined service once more.

The two firms responded differently to the intended reviews.

The Real Milk and Honey first shared a video on social media in which an unnamed man inquires, “Who is this Keith Lee?” The video received a nearly immediate reaction and was removed.

After that, the restaurant started on Instagram to “address a recent incident that highlighted a review from a high-profile food blogger.”

“In no way were we trying to discredit anyone, if the comments came across as such, kindly accept our apologies,” the message says. “It’s crucial to always take feedback and make improvements, for the success of our business and our community.”

Burruss, for her part, shared a video on Instagram with the caption, “I just really want to say, I do appreciate Keith Lee stopping by our restaurant and trying to show us love.”

“Unfortunately, we couldn’t serve him and his family,” the woman stated. “On weekends, we get a lot of community support, both from people in our city and from people from out of town.” So, with that said, we don’t want to overburden our kitchen by having to, you know, have such long wait times for customers who are actually at the restaurant, as well as do to-go orders.”

CNN has contacted The Real Milk and Honey and Kandi Burruss for further comment.

Lee’s experiences prompted several on social media to air their grievances, including that Atlanta’s restaurant sector is filled with establishments that care more about their social media presence than their cuisine and service.

According to several complaints, such establishments offer uneven hours, cuisine, and customer service, as well as policies that are not necessarily client-friendly, such as not permitting takeaway.

The conversation became so popular that rapper Cardi B, who lives in Atlanta, went live on social media and shared her own experiences, saying, “I feel like Atlanta restaurants, they don’t like to make money,” and noting that she has had members of her team drop her name to get better service.

“I feel bad for Atlanta residents,” she remarked. “Thank you, Jesus, I’m famous, but even me being famous, it’s like a hassle!”

But Jordan, now a senior editor for the Black culture team at Atlanta’s official newspaper, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, sees a silver lining.

“Sometimes it takes an outsider to express what many people think.” And when he did this, there was such a widespread reaction from customers, influencers, the media, and restaurant owners — that shows you that this has been simmering under the surface for a long time,” Jordan added.

“And he (Lee) was just the conduit to open up this conversation,” he said. “I think his outsider status made this a place where everyone could finally let loose because I think we’re also a very nice city, a Southern city.” So I believe everyone felt this way… (but) they needed someone else to say it first.”

Miguel Hernandez, an Atlanta restaurant, hoped Lee would visit him.

He appreciates food influencers and mentioned that during a recent trip to Dallas, he used TikTok to discover a decent location to eat. He is a co-owner of Rreal Tacos, a local chain of fast-casual eateries.

“I believe that these influencers are aware of their power. They’re not doing it to bring down restaurants,” Hernandez explained, adding that he has collaborated with social media influencers to spread the word about his business.

And, while he realizes that people are enthusiastic about their city and its eateries, he sees no reason to go overboard with Lee’s reviews.

“It does allow restaurant owners and people in the food scene in Atlanta to maybe get better,” Hernandez told me. “Atlanta is well-known for its music.” Atlanta is well-known for establishing trends. And I believe Atlanta’s cuisine culture will have to improve as well.”

SOURCE – CNN

Entertainment

Gladiator II Rakes in $87 Million in Weekend Debut

Published

7 days ago

2024-11-18

Geoff Brown

Despite not playing in theaters in the United States, Canada, and China until this coming Friday, Gladiator II earned $87 million over the weekend, which is the best foreign opening for a Ridley Scott film to date.

Last week, the picture premiered in 63 countries, including the UK, and grossed $11.4 million from 722 theatres. Particularly impressive was its performance in France, where it raised $10.3 million from 729 outlets.

But this one is a little weaker compared to February’s smash hit sequel, Dune: Part Two, which grossed $97 million worldwide in its opening weekend. At the same time, Deadpool & Wolverine made $233 million for Disney, while Inside Out 2 for Pixar grossed $140 million.

The Fall Guy, an action comedy starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, earned $36.7 million in its opening weekend worldwide, while Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga earned $30 million.

Last Monday, King Charles III attended a screening of Gladiator II in London, capping off a weeks-long worldwide press tour for the film’s cast and production. A Mexican biscuit brand, Rome’s public transportation system, and a German bank VR are just a few multinational brands it has teamed up with to boost its visibility.

In Australia, dessert merchant Oliver Brown offered a special edition of pistachio-heavy puds and drinks dubbed the Emperor’s Collection. The Gladiator II salted caramel latte is available at French Coffee Shop, a business in Paris.

After poor statistics for Venom: The Last Dance and The Rock’s comedy Red One, which premiered worldwide last week, fans hope that Scott’s delayed sequel can lift the global box office for the last month and a half of the year.

Some are predicting a Barbenheimer-style struggle for the top spot in the US box office when Gladiator II and the highly anticipated musical Wicked premiere on the same day, even though double-bill events are unlikely to be very popular.

Gladiator Star Russell Crowe Honored in Rome

Gladiator Star Russell Crowe Honored in Rome

Entertainment

Blizzard’s Remastered Versions Of Warcraft 1 And 2 Are Now Available On PCs.

Published

2 weeks ago

2024-11-13

Salman Ahmad

Image credit: Blizzard Entertainment

(VOR News) – It has been said by Blizzard that it does not intend to remake Warcraft 1 and 2 since the company believes that these games are “just not that fun any longer.”

When the corporation first made this declaration, it has been almost exactly eight years since it was delivered.

However, the firm has only recently made the news that it will be doing precisely that, and as part of the celebrations for Warcraft’s 30th anniversary, both of the remastered versions are now available to play. The celebrations did not start until today.

The public first played Warcraft in 1994.

This game played a significant role in Blizzard’s rise to the top of the competition. In the year that followed, Warcraft 2 was hastily created in order to suit the requirements of the burgeoning fanbase that the first Warcraft had established.

Additionally, the company has just disclosed that they will be remastering the games, and these remasters will contain a variety of additions to the traditional real-time strategic action that is included in the games.

The initial stage of these enhancements to the development process consists of a new collection of hand-drawn pictures that may be toggled on and off in real time. The artistic style of the originals has been said to be completely captured by these photos, according to the assertions made.

Specifically, Blizzard has implemented “modern controls” for Warcraft 1, which include the option to move with a right click, the ability to pick bounding boxes, and a faster progression rate.

These features are all present in the Warcraft game.

The alterations that have been made include these, however they are not the only ones. It is important to note that these changes have been introduced in addition to the user interface and user experience enhancements that have been implemented throughout both games.

Tool tips, health bars, mission decision screens, and increased unit selection are some of the enhancements that have been introduced in this version of the game. As an additional feature, the multiplayer mode that was included in the first version of Warcraft 2 is still included in the remastered version of the game.

As an additional point of interest, each and every one of the legacy custom maps is entirely compatible with the new edition and may be played in the same capacity.

Despite the fact that there is currently no information regarding whether or not Warcraft 1 Remastered and Warcraft 2 Remastered will eventually be made available on other markets, both of these remastered versions of the game are currently available for purchase on Battle.net for personal computers at prices of $9.99 and $14.99, respectively.

Both of these versions of the game are remastered versions of the original game. A Battle Chest bundle is also available for purchase, and it can be purchased for the price of $39.99. All of the titles that have been remastered are included in this bundle, in addition to Blizzard’s Warcraft 3: Reforged, which has been met with a considerable deal of criticism.

Blizzard has been making continual efforts to improve the game ever since it was first made available to the public in the year 2020.

This is despite the fact that the game was met with poor reviews practically immediately after it was released. An entirely new upgrade, version 2.0, is currently being made available to all gamers without delay.

One of the numerous enhancements to the quality of life that are included in this is “much, much more,” in addition to a wide range of options for personalizing the hockey experience within the game and a new ladder.

In addition to the high-definition versions of all of the older Warcraft assets, these upgrades also include new environments and lighting, a redesigned user interface, and a variety of other enhancements.

SOURCE: EG

Entertainment

Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2 Returns Without Kevin Costner

Published

2 weeks ago

2024-11-11

Geoff Brown

Yellowstone is finally returning for the second half of its fifth season without Kevin Costner

Yellowstone will finally return for the second half of its fifth season. We have a lot to speak about, such as recalling what is going on in this program, Kevin Costner’s departure, and whether or not season 5, part 2, will truly end Yellowstone.

Season 5 Part 1 ended on a cliffhanger—we could be in for a full-fledged Dutton family civil war—and we’ve been waiting for nearly two years.

A quick recap: nothing changes from how this program usually goes, except it’s a little more intense. Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) despised Jamie Dutton. Jamie Dutton (Wes Bentley) despised Beth Dutton.

That has always been the case since childhood trauma, but now things have escalated. Their father, John Dutton (Kevin Costner), is now Montana’s Governor, and Jamie, who should be his top legal thinker, is played by a group of local businessmen known as Market Equities.

Anyway, Jamie and Beth are attempting to kill each other, and John appears to be leaning toward Beth’s side.

Given Kevin Costner’s public exit from the program, part 2 of season 5 will be especially noteworthy. Long story short, he departed to make his Horizon films and never returned.

So, how will Yellowstone pick up the tale without John? That much is unknown, which adds to the season’s appeal!

Of course, our other characters continue to do what they do. Rip (Cole Hauser) is doing his Rip thing. Kayce (Luke Grimes) oversees the ranch. His wife, Monica (Kelsey Asbille), is still grieving the loss of their unborn son.

But we do have some high stakes to pick up—and they will begin on Sunday, November 10th, whether Kevin Costner appears on screen or not.

Another twist: While we believed season 5 would conclude the Yellowstone story, part 2 is in the works.

There have also been suggestions that Yellowstone could return for a sixth season, starring Cole Hauser and Kelly Reilly as Rip and Beth. Hmm, certainly!

Yellowstone’s fifth season, part 2, will air each episode of the truncated half-season on Sunday nights at 8:00 PM EST.

The episodes will then be shown on linear TV, Hulu with Live TV, or the Paramount Network website and app for those with a cable subscription. The premiere will also re-air on CBS at 10:00 p.m. EST.

Yellowstone season 5, part 2, will consist of six episodes, the first of which is currently accessible to watch and stream. That implies the series might end with five more episodes of Western family drama.