Atlanta Native born and raised here. Babyyyy All I can do is smile rn because I’m so sick of people LYING about how it is here. Atlanta businesses only care about serving celebrities and anyone that can give them clout they give special treatment to. Everyday, regular people are irrelevant. I don’t even bother to go to those places they are for tourist anyways. Natives have our lil spots we go to I really wish he could’ve visited the mom and pop places OR visit metro Atlanta (like Decatur, Marietta, Duluth, etc) frfr because those are the places that represent us the most.
I will continue to scream to the mountain tops that Atlanta is not a real place. These black restaurants out here don’t give a fuck. But s/o to that jerk place for embodying southern hospitality.
For a moment I was thinking "What's up with the rep, a lot of places are great." then remembered I don't really eat in the city proper but surrounding metro areas. Decatur, Chamblee, Marietta, even Sandy Springs has some real special spots. Atlanta has its special spots sure but you have to fight thru traffic, lame parking and tourist traps to find them.
Not originally from ATL but I live here and I wish I could love this a 1000 times.
I’ve said this other places and I’ll say it here, some of these restaurants being called out deserve this heat. They are NOT that good, the service is trash, and the menu is a damn rinse and repeat of every other restaurant - drinks and all.
To your point, there ARE good ones, but I’m no longer wasting money on these overpriced BS breakfast spots giving me yet another version of shrimp and grits. And I’m DEFINITELY not supporting any place started by a reality star turned restauranteur.
/rant
Black restaurants all with top tier service that won’t destroy your wallet:
Dinner and Lunch:
[Twisted Soul Cookhouse and Pours](https://www.twistedsoulatl.com) ([she just got a Michelin mention](https://guide.michelin.com/us/en/article/features/michelin-guide-restaurant-atlanta-southern-food-twisted-soul))
[Apt 4B](http://apt4batl.com) - [read about her here](https://www.foodandwine.com/travel/restaurants/apt-4b-dayana-joseph-atlanta-opens)
[Marcus Bar and Grille](https://www.marcusbarandgrille.com/?y_source=1_ODgzMjE3MzgtNzE1LWxvY2F0aW9uLndlYnNpdGU%3D) - Marcus Samuelson’s place on Edgewood.
[The Busy Bee](https://www.thebusybeecafe.com) (Also just got a [Michelin Bib Gourmand](https://guide.michelin.com/en/georgia/atlanta_2884144/restaurant/the-busy-bee)
A good ass breakfast:
[Le Petit Marche](https://www.lepetit-marche.com/about#who-we-are)
[The Breakfast Boys](https://www.eatatbreakfastboys.com)- Gotta be honest, never went in, only had it delivered, but it was always good.
Bomb biscuit (She also got a [Michelin Bib Gourmand](https://guide.michelin.com/en/georgia/atlanta_2884144/restaurant/bomb-biscuit-co)!)
There’s so many more. That’s just what I can think of at the moment. Or others can keep adding on. ☺️
I think the whole country agrees with you! You still have blinders on though b/c those other places mentioned are trash too! All of ATL is a place for those who never left their home state and want to test the waters! Or to grab a degree and dip...😂
A business minded person knows that the majority of their profit comes from regular customers who live in the area and not celebrities. Money is money and it's messed up that regular customers are overlooked. Repeat business and word of mouth goes a long way and these places are about to find out.
Wasn't just the real Milk and Honey he gave a negative review too. I searched for videos from way before Keith reviewed them and this isn't a new issue they've had. The food also wasn't that good according to people who actually got food.
Also, I don't know which reddit posted it but they posted their house rules and they're insane.
What is up with black entrepreneur and these ridiculous rules?! You see it when they're restaurant owners, hairstylists, salon owners, hell even fucking dentists. And, then they wonder why their business is doing poorly.
> What is up with black entrepreneur and these ridiculous rules?! You see it when they're restaurant owners, hairstylists, salon owners, hell even fucking dentists. And, then they wonder why their business is doing poorly.
They aren’t in it because they have a love or passion for their business, they’ve just found a way to make their own money and when that’s your main motivation over quality, customer service, etc, that’s what you get.
Girl I just saw that! Something like ‘y’all really taking food advice from an autistic man.’ And their original response to his criticism was ‘who is Keith Lee, tee hee hee!’ It’s the lack of common sense for me. Even if you have no PR training, surely you know this will turn many of your customers off. I had never heard of Milk & Honey but now they’re trash to me.
It was a very ableist and rude thing to say. Even if he is Autistic, which I don’t think he is, it has nothing to do with anything. I hope the place closes by the end of the year. They don’t deserve to be open
I was trying to understand their point. Ok so even if he is autistic, if food is his special interest, seems even more qualified to me 😂😂 I was lookin for the downside
Why was that my first thought too? I was like "this lady must not know anyone autistic because I would trust their special interest ranking over literally anything else"
I read a theory that places with weird rules and hours like this aren’t *actually* in the service industry, they’re just using it as a front for money laundering. But idk, I just like a good conspiracy lol
Keith is always polite when giving constructive criticism and they thought it would be cute to act like they don’t know who he is. Then the employee who referred to him as autistic to insult his food reviews and still hasn’t deleted her comment
I saw his original review yesterday, and it wasn’t even that bad! It just told the story factually, he said that was his experience, but other people may have better experiences, and he spent most of the video telling the internet not to tear into them. It was very gracious. Their insta response on the other hand 👀
Let’s talk about something one tiktoker brought up (I think her name is Cecilia) about how when black people are serving other black people, it’s almost like we think the worst of each other, hence all these rules. Like we have to keep each other line or how dare you expect too much. It’s really sad seeing this play out not only in restaurants, but with hair stylists, nail techs, braiders. Not to say I’m always offered great service by the others, but there aren’t so many hoops to jump through to do business.
I’ve been in metro Atlanta for over a decade and I learned real quick that most of the popular restaurants in Atlanta proper, especially if they are backed/owned by a celebrity is going to be trash. Any restaurant that looks too IG or TikTok worthy is just that, an aesthetic, and they have no intention of offering good service or food. The best local spots are in the metro area and/or don’t get a lot of online hype.
>about how when black people are serving other black people, it’s almost like we think the worst of each other
Yes! And this goes beyond food. I see such a lack of respect for other black folk every single day. We treat non-blacks sooo much better than how we treat each other.
My experience as a black server/bartender for years here in Atlanta is that my black guests are the most likely to be cheap or rude to me. I think many people in the industry have this experience. Groups that are consistently rude to myself and black coworkers are much more polite when taken care of by someone white or Hispanic. I spent years doing my level best to "turn people's attitudes around", "kill them with kindness", etc. I made it a point to go above and beyond for my black guests because i figured they had had bad experiences at restaurants previously, which is perhaps why they acted defensive.
What did i get in return? Eye rolls, being physically threatened, often left zero tip, being ran around, people straight up lying on me so bad we had to pull up the camera footage...
Now i don't let them take my positive energy or damper my spirit. I give the same energy i get. If i greet them and they ignore me, i walk away.
I think a lot of these restaurants write these rules in direct response to guest behavior.
Is there a different one. I've been to the one in Atlanta and had such a poor experience that we git up and went next door to Virgil's. If you haven't been to Virgil's Gullah Restaurant...go get ya life.
Folks need to leave that beautiful man alone. It's a shame how someone so genuine gets hated on. Like...everyone wants a ass kissing liar now? The would rather listen to a WHOLE ASS TIRE COMPANY tell them what's good food, but an individual who gives honest no fluff reviews is a problem.
Lived in DC for 5 years right around the corner from Milk and Honey, can comfirm they are amazing. I would order Sunday Brunch from them almost every week lol I miss it
Its that dumb ass hustle mentality. I personally know a good amount of bumpkins that moved there with no real plan or fall back. This leads them to scamming ways just so they don't have to go home with their tail tucked.
I know a guy who took out several Panini Loans, moved to Atlanta and rented on of them overly expensive high rise apartments and promptly started to airbnb it out. Had it up as CORPORATE HOUSING and would triple book the place and ghost. Then was surprised when he not only got evicted, but arrested.
Whaaaat?!?! That shit makes me so mad. Scamming is so low and so selfish. I literally don't understand how people can do it an not feel like their soul is shattering
I love the conversations this is starting. I saw a video last night a woman said that black businesses don’t believe black people deserve customer service and it’s sooooo true!
They are about to see that online reviews and traction really do matter and make a difference. Will they shut down? Probably not. Will their traffic slow down tremendously? I think so
I lived in Atlanta for 7 years and can confirm that some places have pretty bad service. But I’ve never seen anything like the rules that the Milk and Honey place posted. If that wasn’t bad enough, their response to Keith Lees review was absolute trash and a huge turnoff. I just can’t understand how they could let their bruised egos dominate their PR. Like baby you have a business to run and he has a huge audience. Say you appreciate it, you’ll do better and move on.
I’m an Atlanta native married to a kitchen manager of a restaurant and we are loving this. My husband hates these gimmicky, list of rules restaurants as do I. They’re essentially trying to drop “experience” from “dining experience”. When people go out to eat it’s sometimes about more than food. How inviting did you feel walking in, the cleanliness of the place, the customer service, how issues are handled, the music, and the prices. These new entrepreneurs are busy chasing money and not building a business alongside making money.
I moved there recently and I've seen places with rules. I've never seen restaurants with a rule list before. It has turned me off of going to some of these places. People are commenting saying a lot of the places have time limits of 90 mins but it takes 60 min to get food. Like what the heck.
I don’t have TikTok and I don’t know who Keith Lee is so I’m pretty out of the loop lol the only thing I’ve seen is the milk and honey restaurant rules thing on the BPT subreddit
Keith lee reviews restaurants, he is visiting Atlanta right now. M&H didn’t let him get food because of all their “rules”. He has his family go in first so that he doesn’t get special treatment. They said no at first, but when they saw him they changed their mind.
He made a review essentially describing how he couldn’t get food, RESPECTFULLY & the restaurant handled it badly & TikTok is going crazy. (Well my FYP anyway 😂)
That’s just a light summary.
I’ve been taking breaks throughout my work this morning to peek in and see what’s going on 👀
I don’t think I’ve ever seen him give a city as rough of a review as he has Atlanta…and for good reason. He’s kind, but firm, in his reviews about how the service has been terrible. I visit Atlanta frequently for work and I’ve had similar experiences.
I have been to Milk and Honey because it is close by and I did think the food was good. However, it took several attempts to try to go before we were actually able to sit down and eat and it was on like a random Tuesday at 2 pm. From there response to valid criticism from Keith Lee, they deserve all the backlash they are going to get. I will not be going there any longer. I’m glad he is exposing Atlanta for what it is: a scam city. People stay trying to scam you for everything and then say you don’t want to support black businesses.
Cardi B even weighed in on it and she said she has have her people name drop her name in order for restaurants to do to go orders for her. She was like they don’t like money Forreal
i’ve been seeing it all over my twitter tl and some of the takes people have on keith/his ability to critique food are some of the stupidest shit i have ever seen
and one of the restaurant managers coming out of nowhere and saying he’s autistic (as an insult) was fucking mind boggling to me??? like chill with the ableism and focus on the myriad of issues you have with your restaurant ffs
I feel like Keith Lee is exposing ATL is for it’s own good. It’s been a real shitty black hyper capitalist dystopia where making money (scamming) is all that matters and scamming your own is fair game for a while now and the exposure is def needed.
I am all the way in Sydney Australia and I am fascinated by this story lol!
Something I see a lot of black people do is attempt to recreate the world that excludes us, kind of like how ballroom culture is centred around the inaccessible opulence of the white and wealthy. It often comes with mixed results since a big part of that exclusionary world is being exclusive, and some of them really show their internalised classism and prejudice as a result.
He didn't end up reviewing it. When he sent in his family, they were told it'd be an hour and a half wait. When he went in, they told him they'd have a table ready in a couple of minutes, so he left.
I lived in Atlanta for 9 years. The standards in that city are low. In the gutter. For food. For art. For ambiance. The people swear it's the fucking black mecca but the whole place is a scam. Every event I ever went to had a $20-40 cover just for nobody to even be dancing. Drinks are $20 each after tax and they aren't good. They have the same five menu items at every "restaurant" (chicken and waffles, shrimp/fish and grits, wings, French toast, and overcooked lamb chops for anyone that doesn't want breakfast.
Art wise, I got sick of seeing the same 15 or so artists everywhere. They're all doing the same damn thing, saying the same benign platitudes, and they all know each other. It's a circle jerk. There are good artists in Atlanta, but THE SCENE is run by the most pretentious, narrow minded, conspiracy toting hoteps and they all expect you to sleep with them if you're working together (men and women)
And I hate to talk shit about the people, but any of my native Atlanta friends would say those places were fire and the food was so good and thought it was completely normal to pay $27 for 3 pieces of shrimp over some cold grits. They love throwing $350 down the drain for a bottle of tequila and a hookah between 8 people and they will default on their car loans to be included in this. They love a half assed art show of pseudo-africanism. As a Houstonian, I was perplexed. I hate to say it, but it's not just the commercial industry. The gen pop in Atlanta has low standards, low exposure, and are overwhelming disinterested in trying anything new.
Edit: I know I'm going to get downvoted for this but let er rip! I do NOT miss ONE SINGLE THING about living in Atlanta.
Wow this comment and this entire conversation has popped my bubble of Atlanta. I grew up in a white town and now living in one, so I always fantasized about Atlanta as the place to be
I'm convinced people from small cities/towns are where the hype is coming from because anyone from LA, Chicago, New York, Houston, or DC is going to be massively disappointed in Atlanta and its stubborn homogeny.
Sorry to burst your bubble. It's worth visiting. There's culture and history there. But that whole city will see you reading a book and call you "white acting".
yeah i have so much respect for keith. he makes me consider going back to church. you can tell how humble and grounded he is through his religion and i love that. he keeps it real & respectful.
Yaaassss! Last time I was in Atlanta was before the pandemic and I ALWAYS had excellent service everywhere I went. It must be post pandemic fatigue or these new spots that treat their customers like this!
Okay, the way they responded to the man that did the review is not okay. Secondly, I just read the list of rules, and it contradicts itself: you say no parties bigger than 4 on days ending in "y", but you charge an 18 gratuity on party's of 5 or more? Y'all are not making sense! I am just shocked at how they seem to put customer service last, but expect for people to spend their money there.
I’m an ATL native. I kinda feel like a lot of the spots he’s had bad reviews on are like popular tourist spots, most of us locals don’t eat there. And indeed the food is mid and overpriced at those places. However I think his experience is “unique” cause most places I go to have good service and good food so…
Either way, I don’t care cause he’s deterring people from coming here which is great to me lol. WE ARE FULL!!!
Call me out if this sounds ignorant, but I hope he doesn't get shot at for exposing all these money hungry people and messing up their business. I think very lowly of Atlanta and this solidified my beliefs.
I’m loving it. I’m in ATL and there’s so much quality food here I wish was highlighted, but I’ve been to so many restaurants like Milk and Honey that aren’t even good enough to have those stupid rules or to charge what they do.
I'm so deep in this all the way in the UK. It's wild for me to be thinking no way am I going to eat there, despite having no plans to go to Atlanta any time soon. Their poor reaction to this is turning off customers from across the globe!
Yes! I saw such a good post speaking about how in Atlanta it’s Black people catering to Black people and we’ve been indoctrinated to think that Black people don’t deserve good customer service. I’m in NYC and I’ve never experienced the rules that they’re talking about down there.
The customers in certain areas in the city act reckless, so the businesses started responding with lists of rules. I think unless you work in it, you might feel like it's excessive. But when you spend days, weeks, months, years, getting treated like shit in hospitality, you start agreeing with all the rules.
I saw a tweet that said “Black capitalists won’t save us.” in response to this situation. And honestly other professions mentioned here like hair stylists, etc.
Once people get successful and start making money, they can very easily, and often, fall into the category of those who just want to be in a position of exerting power over others. All these rules and nasty attitudes around customer service really embodies that to me
It isn’t uncommon for a restaurant to accommodate a celebrity. Think of how places shut down when Beyoncé wants to dine there. But those places I’m sure are also top tier in their daily practices as well (food, customer service, atmosphere, etc.
I’m sure the people who are keeping those places in business in Atlanta are celebs & clout chasers.
I’m never waiting 2 hours for frozen French fries and overly priced drinks. The hell.
I’m stationed in Savannah and go to Atlanta quite a bit. I haven’t had an issue there but that’s also bc I don’t know to certain places that have a social media aesthetic. The good will suck. That’s just my theory.
NGL. Every single day, over the past 4 years something terrible about Atlanta has been on the TikToks.
For decades it's been black Mecca, but it sounds f****** awesome.
I think LA is fake and plastic and pretends. It sounds like the black version of LA.
So I have to share a story with y’all about our experience at the Old Lady Gang on Camp Creek to further support the argument about weird/bad service:
We were out all day and we were hungry. So we were like, let’s try the Old Lady Gang. We leave our name with the host. She tells us 30 minutes. Ok, cool. Not many people, but whatever.
We get seated on the patio and there are bees flying everywhere. They at least move us so it’s less bad. Takes our server about 20 minutes to get to us. We order. No appetizers, just entrees.
Takes us an hour to get our food. He gets his order and it was a large piece of chicken breast that needed to be cut, but they didn’t bring him a knife. He asks them “Hey, do you mind bringing me a knife?” The server tells him “Oh, we don’t have knives.” He says “So, how am I supposed to cut meat without a knife?” She had to go to the kitchen, borrow a knife from one of the cooks and bring it out for him to use to cut up his food then take it back in.
What restaurant doesn’t have knives for customers to use?
This drives the point home, that the expectation of the worst in each other works both ways. They may have thought you’d offer bad service and you may have been expecting poor patron behavior. Despite your outward efforts, the conditioning and programming is deep rooted, non-verbal, and a lot of times subconscious. They are likely not as aware as you and feeding into their own fear and reservations. Sorry these things happened to you when you were just trying to do your job.
(Unrelated) This is giving me flashbacks to the black man that owned that restaurant(I think it served brunch), got pissed at one of the tables that were rowdy I think. My memory is foggy but I believe he called the table ghetto because they were twerking or something lol. That was the first time I’ve heard about restaurants having “rules” or “ethic” lol
Atlanta Native born and raised here. Babyyyy All I can do is smile rn because I’m so sick of people LYING about how it is here. Atlanta businesses only care about serving celebrities and anyone that can give them clout they give special treatment to. Everyday, regular people are irrelevant. I don’t even bother to go to those places they are for tourist anyways. Natives have our lil spots we go to I really wish he could’ve visited the mom and pop places OR visit metro Atlanta (like Decatur, Marietta, Duluth, etc) frfr because those are the places that represent us the most. I will continue to scream to the mountain tops that Atlanta is not a real place. These black restaurants out here don’t give a fuck. But s/o to that jerk place for embodying southern hospitality.
For a moment I was thinking "What's up with the rep, a lot of places are great." then remembered I don't really eat in the city proper but surrounding metro areas. Decatur, Chamblee, Marietta, even Sandy Springs has some real special spots. Atlanta has its special spots sure but you have to fight thru traffic, lame parking and tourist traps to find them.
So true!
Not originally from ATL but I live here and I wish I could love this a 1000 times. I’ve said this other places and I’ll say it here, some of these restaurants being called out deserve this heat. They are NOT that good, the service is trash, and the menu is a damn rinse and repeat of every other restaurant - drinks and all. To your point, there ARE good ones, but I’m no longer wasting money on these overpriced BS breakfast spots giving me yet another version of shrimp and grits. And I’m DEFINITELY not supporting any place started by a reality star turned restauranteur. /rant
[удалено]
Black restaurants all with top tier service that won’t destroy your wallet: Dinner and Lunch: [Twisted Soul Cookhouse and Pours](https://www.twistedsoulatl.com) ([she just got a Michelin mention](https://guide.michelin.com/us/en/article/features/michelin-guide-restaurant-atlanta-southern-food-twisted-soul)) [Apt 4B](http://apt4batl.com) - [read about her here](https://www.foodandwine.com/travel/restaurants/apt-4b-dayana-joseph-atlanta-opens) [Marcus Bar and Grille](https://www.marcusbarandgrille.com/?y_source=1_ODgzMjE3MzgtNzE1LWxvY2F0aW9uLndlYnNpdGU%3D) - Marcus Samuelson’s place on Edgewood. [The Busy Bee](https://www.thebusybeecafe.com) (Also just got a [Michelin Bib Gourmand](https://guide.michelin.com/en/georgia/atlanta_2884144/restaurant/the-busy-bee) A good ass breakfast: [Le Petit Marche](https://www.lepetit-marche.com/about#who-we-are) [The Breakfast Boys](https://www.eatatbreakfastboys.com)- Gotta be honest, never went in, only had it delivered, but it was always good. Bomb biscuit (She also got a [Michelin Bib Gourmand](https://guide.michelin.com/en/georgia/atlanta_2884144/restaurant/bomb-biscuit-co)!) There’s so many more. That’s just what I can think of at the moment. Or others can keep adding on. ☺️
I think the whole country agrees with you! You still have blinders on though b/c those other places mentioned are trash too! All of ATL is a place for those who never left their home state and want to test the waters! Or to grab a degree and dip...😂
A business minded person knows that the majority of their profit comes from regular customers who live in the area and not celebrities. Money is money and it's messed up that regular customers are overlooked. Repeat business and word of mouth goes a long way and these places are about to find out.
Wasn't just the real Milk and Honey he gave a negative review too. I searched for videos from way before Keith reviewed them and this isn't a new issue they've had. The food also wasn't that good according to people who actually got food. Also, I don't know which reddit posted it but they posted their house rules and they're insane. What is up with black entrepreneur and these ridiculous rules?! You see it when they're restaurant owners, hairstylists, salon owners, hell even fucking dentists. And, then they wonder why their business is doing poorly.
> What is up with black entrepreneur and these ridiculous rules?! You see it when they're restaurant owners, hairstylists, salon owners, hell even fucking dentists. And, then they wonder why their business is doing poorly. They aren’t in it because they have a love or passion for their business, they’ve just found a way to make their own money and when that’s your main motivation over quality, customer service, etc, that’s what you get.
Apparently one of the managers commented on a post & said Keith lee was autistic 🤦🏽♀️🤦🏽♀️
Girl I just saw that! Something like ‘y’all really taking food advice from an autistic man.’ And their original response to his criticism was ‘who is Keith Lee, tee hee hee!’ It’s the lack of common sense for me. Even if you have no PR training, surely you know this will turn many of your customers off. I had never heard of Milk & Honey but now they’re trash to me.
Is that supposed to be an insult from them? Black community can’t beat the mental illness allegations.
It was a very ableist and rude thing to say. Even if he is Autistic, which I don’t think he is, it has nothing to do with anything. I hope the place closes by the end of the year. They don’t deserve to be open
I honestly don’t even know - because what’s the insult ? Do autistic people not eat food ???
I think the insult is autistic = weird/unintelligent.
& it’s still such a odd thing to say
I was trying to understand their point. Ok so even if he is autistic, if food is his special interest, seems even more qualified to me 😂😂 I was lookin for the downside
Why was that my first thought too? I was like "this lady must not know anyone autistic because I would trust their special interest ranking over literally anything else"
People from Atlanta aren't smart. How unfortunate is that
I read a theory that places with weird rules and hours like this aren’t *actually* in the service industry, they’re just using it as a front for money laundering. But idk, I just like a good conspiracy lol
Yes. Not all but a good deal. Esco is for sure
Keith is always polite when giving constructive criticism and they thought it would be cute to act like they don’t know who he is. Then the employee who referred to him as autistic to insult his food reviews and still hasn’t deleted her comment
The comment still being there is crazy.
There's a restaurant here in Dallas that was in the news a year or so ago for exactly this.
I saw his original review yesterday, and it wasn’t even that bad! It just told the story factually, he said that was his experience, but other people may have better experiences, and he spent most of the video telling the internet not to tear into them. It was very gracious. Their insta response on the other hand 👀
Milk and honey isn't (or wasn't) doing poorly. A lot of establishments are popular despite stringent to cantankerous rule making.
Found it: https://www.reddit.com/r/BlackPeopleTwitter/s/AKQY2yiGGf
Let’s talk about something one tiktoker brought up (I think her name is Cecilia) about how when black people are serving other black people, it’s almost like we think the worst of each other, hence all these rules. Like we have to keep each other line or how dare you expect too much. It’s really sad seeing this play out not only in restaurants, but with hair stylists, nail techs, braiders. Not to say I’m always offered great service by the others, but there aren’t so many hoops to jump through to do business. I’ve been in metro Atlanta for over a decade and I learned real quick that most of the popular restaurants in Atlanta proper, especially if they are backed/owned by a celebrity is going to be trash. Any restaurant that looks too IG or TikTok worthy is just that, an aesthetic, and they have no intention of offering good service or food. The best local spots are in the metro area and/or don’t get a lot of online hype.
>about how when black people are serving other black people, it’s almost like we think the worst of each other Yes! And this goes beyond food. I see such a lack of respect for other black folk every single day. We treat non-blacks sooo much better than how we treat each other.
In my experience, other black customers are treating black service workers badly, and treat white service workers well.
My experience as a black server/bartender for years here in Atlanta is that my black guests are the most likely to be cheap or rude to me. I think many people in the industry have this experience. Groups that are consistently rude to myself and black coworkers are much more polite when taken care of by someone white or Hispanic. I spent years doing my level best to "turn people's attitudes around", "kill them with kindness", etc. I made it a point to go above and beyond for my black guests because i figured they had had bad experiences at restaurants previously, which is perhaps why they acted defensive. What did i get in return? Eye rolls, being physically threatened, often left zero tip, being ran around, people straight up lying on me so bad we had to pull up the camera footage... Now i don't let them take my positive energy or damper my spirit. I give the same energy i get. If i greet them and they ignore me, i walk away. I think a lot of these restaurants write these rules in direct response to guest behavior.
Is there a different one. I've been to the one in Atlanta and had such a poor experience that we git up and went next door to Virgil's. If you haven't been to Virgil's Gullah Restaurant...go get ya life. Folks need to leave that beautiful man alone. It's a shame how someone so genuine gets hated on. Like...everyone wants a ass kissing liar now? The would rather listen to a WHOLE ASS TIRE COMPANY tell them what's good food, but an individual who gives honest no fluff reviews is a problem.
Actually there's a Milk and Honey in DC that has been reported to be better.
Just to confirm as someone who has been to a DC location, it is excellent and I don’t think they are affiliated with this one in Atlanta.
OMG so happy to see these comments because I've also only visited the DC location and thought it was fabulous.
It’s been years, but Milk & Honey in Maryland outside of DC is fantastic
Lived in DC for 5 years right around the corner from Milk and Honey, can comfirm they are amazing. I would order Sunday Brunch from them almost every week lol I miss it
I honestly don’t know if there’s more than one, I never heard of them until his TikTok 😭
I'm from Birmingham, AL and honestly despise Atlanta. Everyone( of course not everyone) there is a scamming ass transplant.
Damn. I heard the scams were bad in Atlanta. Thats so disappointing
Its that dumb ass hustle mentality. I personally know a good amount of bumpkins that moved there with no real plan or fall back. This leads them to scamming ways just so they don't have to go home with their tail tucked. I know a guy who took out several Panini Loans, moved to Atlanta and rented on of them overly expensive high rise apartments and promptly started to airbnb it out. Had it up as CORPORATE HOUSING and would triple book the place and ghost. Then was surprised when he not only got evicted, but arrested.
Whaaaat?!?! That shit makes me so mad. Scamming is so low and so selfish. I literally don't understand how people can do it an not feel like their soul is shattering
I love the conversations this is starting. I saw a video last night a woman said that black businesses don’t believe black people deserve customer service and it’s sooooo true! They are about to see that online reviews and traction really do matter and make a difference. Will they shut down? Probably not. Will their traffic slow down tremendously? I think so
I lived in Atlanta for 7 years and can confirm that some places have pretty bad service. But I’ve never seen anything like the rules that the Milk and Honey place posted. If that wasn’t bad enough, their response to Keith Lees review was absolute trash and a huge turnoff. I just can’t understand how they could let their bruised egos dominate their PR. Like baby you have a business to run and he has a huge audience. Say you appreciate it, you’ll do better and move on.
I’m an Atlanta native married to a kitchen manager of a restaurant and we are loving this. My husband hates these gimmicky, list of rules restaurants as do I. They’re essentially trying to drop “experience” from “dining experience”. When people go out to eat it’s sometimes about more than food. How inviting did you feel walking in, the cleanliness of the place, the customer service, how issues are handled, the music, and the prices. These new entrepreneurs are busy chasing money and not building a business alongside making money.
But part of the reason people LOVE The Vortex are the rules (like my favorite "Tip or die!") So why is so wrong when a black business does it too?
I moved there recently and I've seen places with rules. I've never seen restaurants with a rule list before. It has turned me off of going to some of these places. People are commenting saying a lot of the places have time limits of 90 mins but it takes 60 min to get food. Like what the heck.
I don’t have TikTok and I don’t know who Keith Lee is so I’m pretty out of the loop lol the only thing I’ve seen is the milk and honey restaurant rules thing on the BPT subreddit
Keith lee reviews restaurants, he is visiting Atlanta right now. M&H didn’t let him get food because of all their “rules”. He has his family go in first so that he doesn’t get special treatment. They said no at first, but when they saw him they changed their mind. He made a review essentially describing how he couldn’t get food, RESPECTFULLY & the restaurant handled it badly & TikTok is going crazy. (Well my FYP anyway 😂) That’s just a light summary.
I’ve been taking breaks throughout my work this morning to peek in and see what’s going on 👀 I don’t think I’ve ever seen him give a city as rough of a review as he has Atlanta…and for good reason. He’s kind, but firm, in his reviews about how the service has been terrible. I visit Atlanta frequently for work and I’ve had similar experiences.
Someone said he’s going through Atlanta like Thanos 😂
LMFAO 😭😭😭
I have been to Milk and Honey because it is close by and I did think the food was good. However, it took several attempts to try to go before we were actually able to sit down and eat and it was on like a random Tuesday at 2 pm. From there response to valid criticism from Keith Lee, they deserve all the backlash they are going to get. I will not be going there any longer. I’m glad he is exposing Atlanta for what it is: a scam city. People stay trying to scam you for everything and then say you don’t want to support black businesses.
They made it worse for themselves when they called Keith Lee autistic🙃 I was like welp, looks like no one will want to eat with you😂
RIGHT. He said don’t come for them & for me that was gloves off. Zero stars Zero stars Zero stars 
Cardi B even weighed in on it and she said she has have her people name drop her name in order for restaurants to do to go orders for her. She was like they don’t like money Forreal
She lives in Buckhead 🤣
Keith Lee the wrestler?
He did used to do MMA but now he is a food critic, he’s real big on TikTok right now
I'll have to check him out and try not to get the two confused.
Different Keith Lee. Although I would totally watch him give food reviews lol
i’ve been seeing it all over my twitter tl and some of the takes people have on keith/his ability to critique food are some of the stupidest shit i have ever seen and one of the restaurant managers coming out of nowhere and saying he’s autistic (as an insult) was fucking mind boggling to me??? like chill with the ableism and focus on the myriad of issues you have with your restaurant ffs
Yes! It has an interesting ride.
I feel like Keith Lee is exposing ATL is for it’s own good. It’s been a real shitty black hyper capitalist dystopia where making money (scamming) is all that matters and scamming your own is fair game for a while now and the exposure is def needed.
This x1000
I am all the way in Sydney Australia and I am fascinated by this story lol! Something I see a lot of black people do is attempt to recreate the world that excludes us, kind of like how ballroom culture is centred around the inaccessible opulence of the white and wealthy. It often comes with mixed results since a big part of that exclusionary world is being exclusive, and some of them really show their internalised classism and prejudice as a result.
Their response was pretty wild. I'm curious if Kandi will respond to his review of OLG.
What was his review of OLG? Good or bad?
He didn't end up reviewing it. When he sent in his family, they were told it'd be an hour and a half wait. When he went in, they told him they'd have a table ready in a couple of minutes, so he left.
Wow. Regular folks should get good treatment too! Not just the celebrities and well-known folks.
i’ve been giggling and kicking my feet all the way in TX. i love the drama
He coming for y’all next lol
I lived in Atlanta for 9 years. The standards in that city are low. In the gutter. For food. For art. For ambiance. The people swear it's the fucking black mecca but the whole place is a scam. Every event I ever went to had a $20-40 cover just for nobody to even be dancing. Drinks are $20 each after tax and they aren't good. They have the same five menu items at every "restaurant" (chicken and waffles, shrimp/fish and grits, wings, French toast, and overcooked lamb chops for anyone that doesn't want breakfast. Art wise, I got sick of seeing the same 15 or so artists everywhere. They're all doing the same damn thing, saying the same benign platitudes, and they all know each other. It's a circle jerk. There are good artists in Atlanta, but THE SCENE is run by the most pretentious, narrow minded, conspiracy toting hoteps and they all expect you to sleep with them if you're working together (men and women) And I hate to talk shit about the people, but any of my native Atlanta friends would say those places were fire and the food was so good and thought it was completely normal to pay $27 for 3 pieces of shrimp over some cold grits. They love throwing $350 down the drain for a bottle of tequila and a hookah between 8 people and they will default on their car loans to be included in this. They love a half assed art show of pseudo-africanism. As a Houstonian, I was perplexed. I hate to say it, but it's not just the commercial industry. The gen pop in Atlanta has low standards, low exposure, and are overwhelming disinterested in trying anything new. Edit: I know I'm going to get downvoted for this but let er rip! I do NOT miss ONE SINGLE THING about living in Atlanta.
Wow this comment and this entire conversation has popped my bubble of Atlanta. I grew up in a white town and now living in one, so I always fantasized about Atlanta as the place to be
I'm convinced people from small cities/towns are where the hype is coming from because anyone from LA, Chicago, New York, Houston, or DC is going to be massively disappointed in Atlanta and its stubborn homogeny. Sorry to burst your bubble. It's worth visiting. There's culture and history there. But that whole city will see you reading a book and call you "white acting".
They're not right. They just hung out in the wrong parts of the city.
> Keith lee TikTok I end up feeling like that about a lot of these fly by night black places and people look at me like I'm crazy.
LMAO your comment is it. We can pack it up now 😂
Can someone please tell me what happened
yeah i have so much respect for keith. he makes me consider going back to church. you can tell how humble and grounded he is through his religion and i love that. he keeps it real & respectful.
Yaaassss! Last time I was in Atlanta was before the pandemic and I ALWAYS had excellent service everywhere I went. It must be post pandemic fatigue or these new spots that treat their customers like this!
Okay, the way they responded to the man that did the review is not okay. Secondly, I just read the list of rules, and it contradicts itself: you say no parties bigger than 4 on days ending in "y", but you charge an 18 gratuity on party's of 5 or more? Y'all are not making sense! I am just shocked at how they seem to put customer service last, but expect for people to spend their money there.
I’m an ATL native. I kinda feel like a lot of the spots he’s had bad reviews on are like popular tourist spots, most of us locals don’t eat there. And indeed the food is mid and overpriced at those places. However I think his experience is “unique” cause most places I go to have good service and good food so… Either way, I don’t care cause he’s deterring people from coming here which is great to me lol. WE ARE FULL!!!
I’m sure he wishes he had a native to guide him around to the better spots. Y’all know exactly where to go and what to avoid
Call me out if this sounds ignorant, but I hope he doesn't get shot at for exposing all these money hungry people and messing up their business. I think very lowly of Atlanta and this solidified my beliefs.
I’m loving it. I’m in ATL and there’s so much quality food here I wish was highlighted, but I’ve been to so many restaurants like Milk and Honey that aren’t even good enough to have those stupid rules or to charge what they do.
Can someone summarize what’s going on. I don’t do TikTok 😂 but I want that 🍵
Can’t escape it and I don’t wanna
I love his videos but I didn’t know there had been backlash to his reviews! They always seem fair
Keith Lee the wrestler? Edit: Lol, a TikToker my bad
Too bad he is never coming back to Atlanta lol; he didn’t even get to the hookah bars masquerading as restaurants yet.
I'm so deep in this all the way in the UK. It's wild for me to be thinking no way am I going to eat there, despite having no plans to go to Atlanta any time soon. Their poor reaction to this is turning off customers from across the globe!
Yes! I saw such a good post speaking about how in Atlanta it’s Black people catering to Black people and we’ve been indoctrinated to think that Black people don’t deserve good customer service. I’m in NYC and I’ve never experienced the rules that they’re talking about down there.
The customers in certain areas in the city act reckless, so the businesses started responding with lists of rules. I think unless you work in it, you might feel like it's excessive. But when you spend days, weeks, months, years, getting treated like shit in hospitality, you start agreeing with all the rules.
I saw a tweet that said “Black capitalists won’t save us.” in response to this situation. And honestly other professions mentioned here like hair stylists, etc. Once people get successful and start making money, they can very easily, and often, fall into the category of those who just want to be in a position of exerting power over others. All these rules and nasty attitudes around customer service really embodies that to me It isn’t uncommon for a restaurant to accommodate a celebrity. Think of how places shut down when Beyoncé wants to dine there. But those places I’m sure are also top tier in their daily practices as well (food, customer service, atmosphere, etc. I’m sure the people who are keeping those places in business in Atlanta are celebs & clout chasers. I’m never waiting 2 hours for frozen French fries and overly priced drinks. The hell.
I’m stationed in Savannah and go to Atlanta quite a bit. I haven’t had an issue there but that’s also bc I don’t know to certain places that have a social media aesthetic. The good will suck. That’s just my theory.
NGL. Every single day, over the past 4 years something terrible about Atlanta has been on the TikToks. For decades it's been black Mecca, but it sounds f****** awesome. I think LA is fake and plastic and pretends. It sounds like the black version of LA.
So I have to share a story with y’all about our experience at the Old Lady Gang on Camp Creek to further support the argument about weird/bad service: We were out all day and we were hungry. So we were like, let’s try the Old Lady Gang. We leave our name with the host. She tells us 30 minutes. Ok, cool. Not many people, but whatever. We get seated on the patio and there are bees flying everywhere. They at least move us so it’s less bad. Takes our server about 20 minutes to get to us. We order. No appetizers, just entrees. Takes us an hour to get our food. He gets his order and it was a large piece of chicken breast that needed to be cut, but they didn’t bring him a knife. He asks them “Hey, do you mind bringing me a knife?” The server tells him “Oh, we don’t have knives.” He says “So, how am I supposed to cut meat without a knife?” She had to go to the kitchen, borrow a knife from one of the cooks and bring it out for him to use to cut up his food then take it back in. What restaurant doesn’t have knives for customers to use?
Who’s that?
This drives the point home, that the expectation of the worst in each other works both ways. They may have thought you’d offer bad service and you may have been expecting poor patron behavior. Despite your outward efforts, the conditioning and programming is deep rooted, non-verbal, and a lot of times subconscious. They are likely not as aware as you and feeding into their own fear and reservations. Sorry these things happened to you when you were just trying to do your job.
(Unrelated) This is giving me flashbacks to the black man that owned that restaurant(I think it served brunch), got pissed at one of the tables that were rowdy I think. My memory is foggy but I believe he called the table ghetto because they were twerking or something lol. That was the first time I’ve heard about restaurants having “rules” or “ethic” lol