Food critic Keith Lee has built a career transforming small businesses with his viral food reviews, but his latest visit to a Houston-area dessert shop came with something sweeter than just exposure — a $50,000 check that left the owner in tears.
With Check In Hand
The TikTok food critic, who commands an impressive 17 million followers across social platforms, returned to The Puddery in Pearland, Texas, roughly a year after his initial visit catapulted the struggling banana pudding shop from near-closure to local sensation. This time, Lee partnered with restaurant management software company Toast to provide owner Janel Prator with substantial financial backing to accelerate her expansion dreams.
“I can not tell you the amount of love and support I got from the Pearland community,” Prator said, according to KHOU 11.
Her small storefront business had faced uncertainty before Lee’s first visit when he left a $2,000 tip and a rave review, stating: “People do banana pudding, but they don’t do it like she do it.”
Now, Lee’s return caught the staff by surprise because he did something absolutely unexpected.
“I was in here working and Denisha, my customer service cashier, she was like, ‘Oh, my God. Keith Lee is walking in.’ And I thought she was joking,” Prator recalled.
Before Lee’s initial review, Prator had contacted him “a thousand times,” desperately seeking help for her business that sometimes saw just two customers a day. In a video clip, a tearful Prator admitted there were days when she “couldn’t pay her bills.”
What followed became known as “the Keith Lee Effect.” His glowing review triggered an avalanche of local interest that forced the shop to temporarily close due to overwhelming demand.
Now his $50,000 contribution will support both the remodeling of a second location and the launch of a food truck.
“I had a dream, I had the vision and the faith that it was going to happen,” Prator explained. “My vision is to have a place where people can come and sit down. They can open their laptops. … I wanna make it a place where people want to come and sit and stay.”
Lee’s connection to The Puddery has grown beyond a simple review.
“The owner of the Puddery is one of my favorite people so far, and I’m honored to be able to do this,” he said in his announcement video, later adding, “I’m honored to call you my friend.”
His generosity extends beyond this single establishment.
Lee and Toast will gift another neighborhood restaurant $50,000, inviting social media users to nominate deserving establishments with the hashtag “#itsthelittlethings.” The person whose nomination wins will receive $25,000 as well.
The Puddery’s transformation timeline has suddenly accelerated.
Prator aims to have her food truck operational this month, with the remodeled storefront location opening by her birthday in May.
The influence of Lee, who recently ranked Houston as the nation’s second-best food city behind only New Orleans, continues to grow. He recently relocated to Dallas, suggesting Texas entrepreneurs may see more of the influencer whose reviews can transform business fortunes overnight.
@keith_lee125 Ranking Our Food Stops Of 2023 💕 would you try it ? 💕 #foodcritic ♬ original sound – Keith Lee
Prator expressed her gratitude on Instagram with powerful words: “I will never NOT mention your name and show appreciation for what you did for me and my family. You single-handedly changed my life for the better.”
This digital-age success story demonstrates how social media influence, thoughtfully applied, is reshaping the landscape for independent food entrepreneurs in ways traditional media never could. From a shop that once struggled to pay bills to a growing business with expanding horizons, The Puddery exemplifies how one influential voice can change not just a business, but a life.
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