Esteemed TikToker Keith Lee and his honest review of Kandi Burruss’ Atlanta-based restaurant, Old Lady Gang, sparked a debate about the lack of hospitality in the city’s restaurant scene despite the whole “southern hospitality” notion associated with the south.
The 38-year-old influencer posted the Old Lady Gang review to TikTok on Sunday, Oct. 29, where he explained he and his family traveled to Atlanta for the One Music Festival, which happened from Oct. 28 to 29 at Piedmont Park.
One of Burruss’ employees approached the TikToker to inform him that the Real Housewives of Atlanta reality star’s employees attempted to contact him to request his presence at her Old Lady Gang restaurant.
Lee typically ordered takeout and reviewed the food away from the restaurant (many times in his car). But Lee’s attempts to order takeout from Burruss’ establishment failed. The MMA fighter then had his family enter Old Lady Gang without him.
Restaurant staff informed him that they didn’t do takeout orders on weekends and that their wait time for seating was an hour to an hour and a half.
When Lee entered the restaurant, things changed after the MMA fighter and his wife took photos with fans.
“As soon as me and my wife were done taking pictures, the lady said, ‘The table is read,'” Lee recalled, emphasizing his disdain for special treatment due to his celebrity status.
He wanted his family to get the same treatment he would get.
“Just because I have a certain amount of followers on social media don’t make me different from nobody.”
Testing the worker, Lee asked the unseen woman about the eatery’s typical wait time. She told him the same answer she gave his family, leading Lee to question why his table was prepared in five minutes.
“Nobody on the waitlist I called came, so now it’s whoever first come, first serve,” the person said. Lee knew that was a fib.
“Again, my family just attempted to eat there less than two minutes ago,” he stated.
Instead of making a big deal, Lee changed his mind and told the lady he and his family would eat elsewhere.
“I am frustrated,” Lee said. “Me and my family just trying to eat food. That’s all we’re trying to do. At the same time, I am frustrated. I understand we are all humans. I do not agree, I do not support, I do not condone shaming this business based on my experience. Every city we’ve been to since we’ve been on the food tour, I go to an array of restaurants, from mom-and-pop shops to staples of the communities to super popular to places nobody know about. And Atlanta has definitely been a unique experience for me. It’s something I’ll never forget.”
He thanked Old Lady Gang for the invite, adding, “I’m a normal person, and I want to be treated like everybody else.”
Commenters gave their two cents on the ATL’s restaurant scene.
“ATL getting cooked.”
“Why Atlanta keep fumbling the bag like this?”
“What I’ve learned from Keith’s time in the ATL is if I ever visit, I need to bring my own damn food.”
“Sheree gone have a field day with this.”
“This is exactly how it is for us regular ATL folks. Imagine them telling [you] your wait time is 1.5 hrs, then someone comes up [and] sits immediately.”
Before ending the video, Lee told his fans not to leave the restaurant zero reviews if they hadn’t experienced it personally.
Old Lady Gang wasn’t the only ATL eatery that tried to switch up their ways once they recognized Lee.
The Real Milk and Honey restaurant told his family that they were closed “early” for deep cleaning despite their doors being wide open and people running in and out with their orders. Once Lee came in, that “deep clean” excuse went out the door, but the Tiktoker declined since he preferred the same treatment as regular folks.
Cardi B took to Instagram Live and weighed in with her experience with Atlanta restaurants that seemingly backed Lee’s experience at Old Lady Gang.
“First thing’s first, right? I feel like Atlanta restaurants…don’t like to make money,” she said. “I feel like they don’t like people, they don’t like [their customers], they just don’t f**king like it…You could barely order in Atlanta restaurants.”
The “Press” rapper reportedly had to encourage her staff to “name drop” for better service.
“They don’t do no pick-up order, they don’t do deliveries, they don’t do s**t,” Cardi shared.
Cardi added that she didn’t like how Atlanta food places would close on random days, “like Tuesdays.”
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During his entire Atlanta trip, Lee and his family experienced strange restaurant behavior unfamiliar to the Detroit native who lives in Las Vegas with his family. In a video posted on Tuesday, Oct. 24, the TikToker visited a breakfast restaurant and ate inside since the takeout process was complicated. The kind waitress explained rules unfamiliar to his party.
For example, after the waitress took them to their table, a few left the table to get situated since they just got off the plane. The waitress told them they could only order drinks or food once their entire party was seated.
He had his wife and sister taste test Lil Baby’s seafood restaurant since he learned they cooked the seafood and shellfish in the same oil, and he’s allergic to the latter.
