A salmon chopped cheese. A “dry” bacon, egg and cheese. Pizza from touristy joints in Manhattan.
TikTok food influencer Keith Lee’s tour of New York City was off to a chaotic start last week, and many locals were struggling to keep their cool.
“Me and my family are in New York, fresh out the plane when I got this DM,” Lee said in his first video uploaded from the city, where he was expected to visit and review eateries for his 15.4 million followers on TikTok.
A visit by Lee can change the trajectory of small businesses featured on his account. The 27-year-old former MMA fighter has amassed a loyal following who flock to restaurants he reviews — a phenomenon that’s been coined the “Keith Lee effect.”
The Las Vegas-based everyman food critic typically orders takeout from restaurants, then records himself eating in his car and gives reviews on a 10-point-scale. He’s said he always pays for the food and has family members pick it up to avoid special treatment.
A screenshot of the direct message shown in the video urged Lee to visit Taste Budz Deli in Queens and order the “2 Smoove,” explaining it was the “best salmon chopped cheese I ever had.” Lee obliged and procured the fishy spin on the classic NYC bodega sandwich.
“It’s a little salty in my opinion, but it’s good, tastes exactly like what it is, seasoned salmon, with a bunch of sauce, tomato and some lettuce,” Lee said after taking a bite of the salmon sandwich in his video review. “I’m not mad at this, but I’m also not crazy about it: 7.5 out of 10.”
He proceeded to try a regular chopped cheese from Taste Budz, judging it an 8 out of 10. Then a bacon, egg and cheese, which he describes as dry and stale: 4 out of 10.
The video, which currently hovers at around 4.3 million views and more than 420,000 likes immediately caused an outcry from New Yorkers on TikTok who were horrified by the idea of a salmon chopped cheese. The sandwich is typically made with ground beef, though
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