Coincidence or otherwise, Keith Lee has come yet again to Georgia, within days of a Michelin Guide Atlanta ceremony, flexing formidable food media influence.
It’s unclear if Lee — whose infamous 2023 Atlanta visit caused a national foodie firestorm a year ago — is still in Georgia. It’s also unknown if he is visiting other restaurants in Atlanta or elsewhere in the state.
What is known: the “Keith Lee effect” appears to be alive and well. It’s also worth noting that, if he didn’t consider how this latest Georgia visit coincides with the second annual Atlanta Michelin ceremony which occurred Monday, Lee has quite an uncanny sense of market timing.
Last year’s visit from Lee resulted in media coverage that turned the celebrity influencer, who already had millions of TikTok followers, into a topic of conversation for readers at The New York Times, CNN, NBC News and other national outlets.
According to local news reports in Warner Robins, the food influencer and former MMA fighter visited a restaurant in Warner Robins named Tacos y Mariscos Ofelia on Saturday. In his review, which followed his usual video format showing him rating a restaurant after anonymously ordering carryout food from them and eating it inside his car, Lee said he was compelled to visit Tacos y Mariscos Ofelia after seeing a video posted to the Mexican restaurant’s TikTok account last week.
“We are having such a hard time staying open,” reads overlaid text on the posted video. “We just reopened yesterday after being closed for 2 weeks and hardly anyone has come. Please come by and help us! We are a small Mexican restaurant that specializes in birria.”
Veronica Tiznado, co-owner of Tacos y Mariscos Ofelia, published multiple TikTok videos in recent months which share the reality she and her family have experienced together operating a restaurant struggling to find success.
The restaurant reportedly closed temporarily in early October due to lack of sufficient customers. After taking a short hiatus it reopened only to see the challenges persisted. The restaurant then launched a crowdfunding campaign and Tiznado took her story to social media, where she gave emotional updates on the threat of Tacos Y Mariscos Ofelia’s closure being too close for comfort.
The posts caught Lee’s attention and motivated the viral star to patronize the restaurant with his wife.
Credit: Jordan Strauss
Credit: Jordan Strauss
“The second me and my family saw this video, we booked a two-hour flight and drove two hours from the airport to try this food,” said Lee, suggesting he’d landed in Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport before commuting south of Macon by car to visit Tacos y Mariscos Ofelia.
Lee and his wife, Ronni, tasted several dishes, including street corn, a chunky guacamole, loaded fries and a birria pizza. He noted the pizza’s high level of spice while complimenting its flavor and value, praising its size and suggesting that one order could potentially feed several people.
The influencer also liked the customer service and remarked the teenage family members staffing Tacos y Mariscos Ofelia’s were polite and well-mannered. He reportedly gave the family enough money to help cover future rent payments and food for customers following his visit.
Soon after his visit, the “effect” kicked in, and Tiznado posted several subsequent videos sharing her gratitude and the overwhelming response from diners.
“The first day we ran out of birria,” said Tiznado, noting that on the second day the restaurant ran out of everything, including chips, salsa, tortillas and lettuce. She admitted at least one customer was upset because their order was affected, and that the resulting boon of new customers took a slight physical toll.
“I’m very happy; business is booming,” she said in one of the videos following Lee’s stopover, “but I’m exhausted. My legs hurt.”
Credit: Mike Jordan
Credit: Mike Jordan
Prior to the Warner Robins visit, Lee’s TikTok account most recently shows visits to restaurants in Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona. The latest restaurant review posted to his Instagram account was recorded in Tokyo, where he remarked on a ramen restaurant’s cleanliness and the high level of safety he felt visiting restaurants alone in Japan’s capital city.
Following his original review of Atlanta, in which he ranked the city last among U.S. cities, Lee said he received threats of violence. An August trip to Washington, D.C., where Lee also negatively reviewed several restaurants, resulted in similar menacing remarks.
“Tell Keith lee show his location when he come back ima review his life,” D.C. rapper Ant Glizzy shared on the social media platform X, formerly Twitter.
Lee seemed to leave the door open to visiting Atlanta again after a second visit was cut short, changing his plans and taking him to Toronto for his first international citywide review of restaurants. He also said he appreciated the warm welcome back to Atlanta during his brief return in April.
“Because of that last experience, I wasn’t expecting that reception,” he admitted.
While it’s uncertain if Lee was aware when he visited Tacos y Mariscos Ofelia that Michelin would make its Guide selections two days later, those who don’t believe in coincidences might wonder if Lee timed his Peach State return for maximum media effect.
The Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau funded the Michelin Guide’s arrival in Atlanta. William Pate, ACVB’s president and CEO, was diplomatic when asked for comment on whether Lee’s visit might threaten yet again to overshadow the effect of Michelin’s annual restaurant selections.
“One of the strengths of Atlanta’s dining scene is the variety of cuisine types represented throughout the destination,” said Pate. “Atlanta’s restaurants have been underappreciated for many years, so it is exciting to see so many people taking interest in the work of our culinary community.”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution also reached out to Michelin for comment and received the following response: “The MICHELIN Guide is an independent publication produced by Michelin Group employees. It is not influenced by its partners, a destination or food influencers/personalities.”
Note of disclosure: Mike Jordan hosted the 2024 Atlanta Michelin Guide ceremony Oct. 28, 2024.
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