Food critic leaves $3,000 tip at Toronto restaurant
Celebrity food critic Keith Lee dropped a $3,000 tip at a Toronto restaurant over the weekend, but it’s the “Keith Lee Effect” that leaves a lasting impact.
“We had crowds, lineups right away,” Rodney Best, owner of Afro's Pizza at Dundas and Jarvis streets, said on CP24 Tuesday. “It has been helping our business a lot.”
Lee’s food reviews have garnered more than 16 million followers on TikTok, establishing a phenomenon known as the “Keith Lee Effect” that bolsters businesses after paying a visit.
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
For his first taste test outside of the U.S., Lee ventured on a “FamiLee Food Tour” in Toronto over the weekend.
In two days, he visited four joints. At Afro Pizza, he tried several slices, and indulged in the mac and cheese, ranking it an 8.5 out of 10.
“A little more sauce and this would be super hot. This has got the most flavour I’ve had in a long time.”
Lee left a $3,000 tip in his wake, and another $1,000 for Afro Pizza to hand out free slices for the rest of the night. “Once he left, we gave away free pizza to people for three hours,” Best said.
Celebrity food critic Keith Lee visits Toronto for his first tour outside of the United States (TikTok).
For Biscuits to Baskets in Ajax, new faces started appearing in their tiny chocolate shop, located in a backyard shed in a quiet neighbourhood, soon after Lee paid a visit. “We're excited to see a lot more new faces,” Victoria Fliegel, Biscuits to Baskets shop manager, said on CP24.
“This is the most Canadian thing I’ve ever done,” Lee said, sitting in his car holding a box of baked goods in a TikTok video. Though he doesn’t have a sweet tooth, Lee gave their Korean sponge toffee latte an eight out of 10.
“It means a lot to our family,” Fliegel said.
Fliegel admitted that her family had never heard of Lee, and didn’t know his wife had come in for a box of baked goods before Lee made his own appearance after hearing about the customer service.
“It was some of the best customer service they’ve ever experienced,” Lee said, of his family’s feedback.
With an influx of business from the "Keith Lee Effect," Fliegel said they’re aiming to buy a better coffee machine to serve more customers.
“We’re definitely all in shock, overwhelmed, but we’re really excited to see what comes of it.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW Is there a cost to convenience? Canada approves new cancer immunotherapy treatment
A new cancer treatment recently approved in Canada promises to cut treatment time down to just minutes, but experts have differing opinions on whether it's what's best for patients.
Air Canada walks back new seat selection policy change after backlash
Air Canada has paused a new seat selection fee for travellers booked on the lowest fares just days after implementing it.
Canada's new dental program offering hope of free care to millions but many dentists aren't signed up
A new Canadian dental care program is offering the hope of free care to millions, but while 1.7 million people have signed up for the plan, only about 5,000 dentists have done the same.
Province boots mayor and council in small northern Ont. town out of office
An ongoing municipal strike, court battles and revolt by half of council has prompted the province to oust the mayor and council in Black River-Matheson.
King Charles III returns to public duties with a trip to a cancer charity
King Charles III will return to public duties on Tuesday when he visits a cancer treatment charity, beginning his carefully managed comeback after the monarch’s own cancer diagnosis sidelined him for three months.
NDP says Ottawa's new grocery task force isn't living up to government promises
The federal government says the task force it created to monitor and investigate grocery retailers' practices has not conducted any probes and doesn't have a mandate to take enforcement action.
A group of Toronto tenants have been on a rent strike for a year and say there's no resolution in sight
Dozens of tenants in Toronto's Thorncliffe Park area have now been withholding their rent for one year, and it’s unclear when the dispute will end.
U.K. police arrest man wielding a sword in east London, 5 people are taken to the hospital
A man wielding a sword attacked members of the public and two police officers on Tuesday in the east London community of Hainault before being arrested, police said.
Archeologists search for remnants of Halifax's 250-year-old wall that surrounded the city
Archeologist Jonathan Fowler is using ground-penetrating radar to search for historic evidence of the massive wall that surrounded Halifax more than 250 years ago.