The Baton Rouge food scene was in the spotlight this past June when food critic and TikTok star Keith Lee reviewed five local restaurants to his cult following.
The MMA fighter-turned-rising food critic visited Fork N Spoon, Smoke Bayou, Dr. FeelGood, KOK Wings & Things and The Bayou Affect. After reviewing the local spots for his millions of followers on Instagram and TikTok, these restaurants experienced “The Keith Lee Effect,” typically characterized by an influx in sales and massive brand exposure.
Kristen Abshire, the owner of breakfast spot Fork N Spoon, witnessed sales triple overnight. For about a month, the restaurant on Brightside Drive sold out every day hours before closing time. Almost two months later, Abshire says sales are starting to “level out” but the restaurant is still experiencing lasting effects from the food critic’s visit.
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One of the dishes Lee raved about from Fork N Spoon was the braised beef grits. Since his review, the restaurant has sold out of grits most days. Abshire went from making 10 pounds of braised beef a week to making 10 pounds a day. She’s also hired three full-time employees to help with the customer boom.
“Summertime, being so close to LSU, typically tends to be our slowest season because a lot of the students leave,” Abshire says. “We had this huge uptick and it’s carrying us through what would typically be a rough time for us.”
Tré’Jan Vinson, co-owner and chief marketing officer of KOK Wings & Things, says the Mid City restaurant also received an increase in sales and social media followers. For three weeks after the review was published, the late-night wing spot had about a 5% bump in revenue at its Baton Rouge location. In his review, Lee commented that he was unsure of the wing flavors because they were served together in the same box. To remedy any confusion, the Louisiana restaurant will begin labeling the boxes with stickers this fall so customers know which flavors they have.
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Both of these restaurants plan to expand in the future. Beginning this fall, KOK Wings & Things will be available for purchase during game days at Tiger Stadium. The restaurant plans to have a stadium booth serving boneless wings and fries.
“Never underestimate the power of what you have going on in front of you,” Abshire says about her main takeaway from Lee’s visit. “After years of hard work and dedication, wondering when it’d pay off, and feeling defeated and helpless, all those things changed for my business overnight. It was a defining moment that made me feel existential hope for the future of the business. It renewed faith in our food scene in Baton Rouge, my employees, and it was a full-circle moment to see everything come to fruition.”
This story originally appeared in an Aug. 7 issue of Daily Report. To keep up with Baton Rouge business and politics, subscribe to the free Daily Report e-newsletter here.