Food Critic Keith Lee gives generous tip to family-owned GA restaurant

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First)— A family-owned Georgia restaurant posted on TikTok last week about its struggle to stay afloat. Three days later, they got something they never expected.

Viral food critic Keith Lee showed up and gave them a tip large enough to pay their rent for the next three months, he shared with his social media following.

Tacos y Mariscos Ofelia in Warner Robins was forced to temporarily close on Oct. 3 after they didn’t have enough customers. They reopened a few weeks later, but still could not pay their rent due to slow service, according to their Facebook.

After creating a GoFundMe, the restaurant went to TikTok to ask for help.

“We are a small family that depends on this restaurant. We have no one to help us out, and we are fighting to stay afloat and not lose everything we worked so hard for,” the family wrote in the caption of the now-viral video.

A few days later, viral food reviewer Keith Lee posted a review of the food and the overall experience his family had at the restaurant.

“The second me and my family saw this video, we booked a two-hour flight and drove two hours from the airport to try this food,” Lee says in his review.

After reviewing the food with his wife, Roni Lee, he said the restaurant might not be doing well due to the location being two hours away from Atlanta and the staff in front being all children.

“As always, it‘s deeper than the food. This is about families; this is about doing what we feel like we’re supposed to do and walking in our path,” Lee said.

Lee went in to the restaurant to meet the family behind the business and pay their rent for the next three months. Lee also left $900 to pay for anyone who came in after him.

The restaurant owner explained to Lee that his children offered to help when they noticed he struggled to hire employees.

“We try to do the best we can,” the restaurant owner told Lee.

“We are so thankful that our community joined together to help us, and thank you to Keith Lee,” the business wrote on Facebook. “This was such a blessing and we hope many great things come from this.”