HOUSTON — He's a TikTok sensation for those who love food. Keith Lee is a somewhat new food critic with a following of more than 15 million.
This week, he took the taste tour of Houston trying out different local restaurants. One of those restaurants was Butter Funk Kitchen, a Cajun restaurant in Sunnyside. Owner Aaron Johnson said his small family business is trying to keep up after Lee's video review of his restaurant was posted Sunday night.
"Picking up catfish, loads of catfish. It has been unreal how much catfish I went through," he said. "I didn't think it was going to be what it turned out to be."
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They're calling it the Keith Lee effect -- new customers flocking to his restaurant from all over in the wake of Lee's video going live. They're even coming from out of state.
"We're from Charlotte, North Carolina, and we're both big Keith Lee fans," Shannon Garner said.
She and a friend flew in for the day just to try Butter Funk Kitchen because of Lee's review.
"Keith Lee, man, if he says this place is great, I'ma take his word for it, and he hasn't missed on, so," Ferrante Dunham said.
With the new-found recognition, Johnson said he's thankful for the blessing.
"Prior to Keith Lee, we were doing about 15, 20 cases of catfish a week. So far today, I'm, like, on 10," he said.
The secret to the catfish?
"The love," he said with a chuckle.
And a secret recipe -- one that many people are loving.
Johnson said that he appreciates his loyal customers, and he's grateful that his business got the boost.
He had this message for Lee: "Thank you. I really appreciate it. From the bottom of my heart, it's really been a blessing."
He said it's only up from here.
"I want to be considered as one of the best restaurants inside the Houston area," he said.
For now, though, he's just preparing for the new rush that's in store this week.