Just as Atlanta began preparing for the imminent return of Keith Lee, the viral social media food reviewer decided to temporarily put Atlanta restaurants on the backburner.
In a TikTok post that went live late Tuesday evening, Lee informed his 16.1 million followers that while he said Atlanta would be the first stop on his planned “Redemption Tour,” he altered his travel schedule due to “business reasons.”
“There’s been a change of plans. Let’s talk about it. The next half of the food tour is not Atlanta,” he said.
He announced that the next city will be Toronto, Canada, for his first international food review.
Lee also claimed to be in Atlanta while making the new video, and during the recording the camera quickly cut to a view of tall trees visible through his car’s rear window as evidence.
“As you see in the background, we are in Atlanta at the moment,” he said. “But we only gonna be here for a few days.”
Lee said that while he’s in town, he’ll rent at least one local food truck and will pass out food to people who find him. He said he decided on the “community giveback” after speaking with Atlanta-based friends.
Details of where and when he will appear, and with which food trucks, are posted on his Instagram stories and his Snapchat account.
Credit: Instagram
Credit: Instagram
“All I ask is that if you do come you be patient because it might get a little crazy,” he said.
Lee said he would be back in Atlanta soon, and explained in the latest video why he is passing out free food in Atlanta, instead of reviewing the city during his unexpectedly abbreviated visit to town.
“I didn’t think it was fair to short anybody. If we gonna do it, we gonna do it all the way.”
He also expressed his gratitude to Atlanta. “Atlanta welcomed us back with open arms and I’m thankful,” he said. “Because of that last experience, I wasn’t expecting that reception.”
It’s a change in tone after his March 30 TikTok post announcing the “Redemption Tour” in which he shared that he will have security with him after receiving death threats from his October 2023 visit.
His original visit became a national sensation, causing a stir in Atlanta and beyond over his critique of local restaurants.
Recently a number of Black chefs in Atlanta expressed mixed feelings over Lee’s return trip announcement.
“There are great places to eat in this city with great service. Don’t make it seem like Atlanta is trash because you didn’t do your research,” said Justin Dixon, chef and owner of sandwich shop Humble Mumble.
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