PEARLAND, Texas — TikTok food critic Keith Lee is continuing to bring the positive vibes, helping a fellow Texan to the tune of $50,000.

What You Need To Know

  • TikTok food critic Keith Lee donated $50,000 to The Puddery, a local dessert shop in Pearland, Texas

  • The Puddery gained massive popularity from Lee's glowing review back in late 2023, which saved it from closure

  • The dessert shop is now opening a second location due to increased customer traffic

  • A partnership with Toast is allowing Lee to donate to two more restaurants in the coming weeks

Lee, who has gone viral for his unique way of critiquing local mom-and-pop restaurants around the world, returned to a Houston-area dessert shop he reviewed back in 2023 to give his congratulations to them for opening a second store. 

When Lee first visited The Puddery in Pearland, his glowing review gave the store–which the owner said was on the brink of closure–a much-needed boost. 

Lee, who claims he is not a dessert person, said The Puddery’s banana pudding was “immaculate.” That review has been one of his most popular, garnering over 300,000 likes on Instagram and close to 5 million likes on TikTok. 

The Puddery quickly saw a massive increase in customers through what has now been dubbed the “Keith Lee Effect.” 

During his appearance at South by Southwest, Lee said he specifically reviews places that he feels aren’t getting enough attention. 

“I specifically find places that are under-privileged, under-marketed. Places that are in food deserts, where there is not a lot of attention in those places. And we go to those places for absolutely free and we provide marketing, and again, I’m just blessed to be here,” Lee said. 

And The Puddery is blessed to have Keith Lee, because now they have lines going around the block and are opening a second store. 

Lee surprised The Puddery’s owner, Janel Prator, with a visit and a $50,000 check. The check is part of a partnership between Lee and Toast, a restaurant management software company, and Prator was also given a free year of Toast.

“The owner of The Puddery is one of my favorite people that I’ve met so far,” Lee said in a video.

Prator along with her daughter, who also works at the store, were super excited to see Lee.

When the gifts were revealed, Prator immediately teared up and her daughter could be heard in the background gasping and saying, “Oh my God!”

“You deserve it, more than the word deserve means,” said Lee. “You have literally done everything that you’ve been called to do, and I just appreciated the fact that I am honored to call you my friend and the fact that we are in this moment.”

Lee finished out the video by saying he was teaming up with Toast to give another two restaurants $50,000 over the next few weeks. The second restaurant has already been selected by Lee, but the final $50,000 will be awarded to a restaurant nominated through social media, according to a news release from Toast.

The person who nominates the winning restaurant will also receive $25,000.