Atlanta restaurateurs have a little more time ahead to prep their staffs and spice up their menus.
On Tuesday night, former MMA fighter turned TikTok food critic Keith Lee announced that he was postponing his “FamiLee Food Tour” stop in Atlanta, citing changes to his traveling schedule.
Lee initially announced the tour and Atlanta as its first location in a social media post last week.
Referring to the eight-city jaunt as a “redemption tour,” Lee told his nearly 16.1M followers that his return would give cities that didn’t receive good reviews during their first visits in 2023 a second chance.
Although he announced Tuesday that the first stop would now be given to Toronto, Lee acknowledged that he and his family were in Atlanta and would be staying in the city for “a few days.”
“I didn’t think it was right to shorten anybody,” he said regarding his decision to postpone reviews in the city. “If we go do it, we go do it all the way.”
While he was not in town for long, his social media personality still wanted to leave his impact on the city.
On Wednesday, Lee and friends hosted a community giveback, offering 500 food plates to residents who were able to arrive before the meals ran out.
The event was originally held at Selena S. Butter Park but when more fans and residents showed up than anticipated, Atlanta police dispersed the crowd and the giveaway was relocated.
“A thousand?” Lee asked an officer in a recent TikTok video when given the estimated number of attendees. “God is amazing.”
Nonetheless, the relocated event at Za’Acai Cafe proved to be successful with the appearances of local food trucks, an excited crowd and social media influencers Kai Cenat and Fanum. The two personalities have garnered internet fame themselves through word-of-mouth popularity and social media content, much like Lee.
In addition, limited pairs of Nike Air Max 95 404 Day sneakers were given away to a lucky group of child attendees.
“I wasn’t expecting this kind of reception,” Lee told the AJC Wednesday evening. “(After) the first experience we had in Atlanta, I didn’t think nobody was going to show up. But the fact that people showed up and showed out, I’m just thankful, man.”
Lee ignited controversy last year after unfavorable visits to various well-known Atlanta restaurants made national headlines.
While many Atlanta residents agreed with Lee’s critiques, others had more unfavorable responses. Lee has alluded to being the victim of various death threats against him and his family for some of his reviews.
Despite not announcing a set date, Lee vowed to return to the city soon for an examination of a new set of Atlanta restaurants.
