Credit: Derek White/Bravo
Kandi Burruss from The Real Housewives of Atlanta is a well-rounded businesswoman. Not only does she still tour with her girl group, but she also has multiple successful restaurants around Atlanta. However, not everything is peachy keen for Kandi’s restaurant business, which has even been discussed on RHOA.
Recently, popular TikTok star Keith Lee embarked on a food tour in the ATL. Among the well-known restaurants he visited was Kandi’s Old Lady Gang, which many fans will remember from both RHOA and Kandi’s spinoff series on Bravo, Kandi & The Gang. Unfortunately, Kandi’s restaurant business came under fire after Keith left an unfavorable review.
According to the TikToker, the restaurant wasn’t accepting to-go orders, and there was also a long wait to dine in. While Keith stayed in the car, he sent his family in, and they were told the waiting time would be 1.5 hours. Then, upon learning that it was Keith who wanted to dine, the staff said they would be able to accommodate him in just five minutes. However, he left due to not wanting special treatment. You can see the now-viral TikTok video below.
@keith_lee125 Old Lady Gang taste test đ would you try it đ #foodcritic
Since the video, other people who have gone to Kandi’s Old Lady Gang restaurant have shared similar experiences. Additionally, the restaurant only has a three out of five rating on Yelp. Because of the backlash, Kandi posted a video to the platform to defend her restaurant business and explain why they were not taking to-go orders.
In the video, Kandi explained that her restaurant business is so popular on the weekends that it’s simply not feasible to accept to-go orders. This would put more work on her already busy staff, and it would cause even longer wait times for the people who decide to dine in at Old Lady Gang in Atlanta. Oddly, Kandi failed to address Keith being offered special treatment in the form of a shorter wait time.
âI really just want to say I really do appreciate Keith Lee for stopping by our restaurant and trying to show us love. It is very unfortunate that we couldnât serve him and his family,â said Kandi. “We would have loved to.”
âOn the weekends, we get a lot of community support, people in our city that show up for us, as well as a lot of people from out of town. So, with that being said, we donât want to overwhelm our kitchen by having to, you know, have such long times for the people who are actually at the restaurant, plus having to do to-go orders,â she continued.
@kandi Thanks for stopping by #OldLadyGang @Keith Lee! Much love to you & your family. â¤ď¸ & Thanks to all of our supporters! đâ¤ď¸
Of course, this has caused many fans to call Kandi out for not responding to the bigger issue, which is the subject of special treatment for celebrities and influences. Additionally, people feel that there are ways the popular Atlanta restaurant could accommodate both to-go orders and people who dine in on the weekends.
The backlash for Kandi’s restaurant business has brought up another question. If she’s back on RHOA next season, will this become a storyline? As fans know, fellow peach holder Sheree Whitfield had some strong criticism for Kandi’s restaurants last season. This could easily become Sheree’s next piece of ammunition for her nemesis.
Of course, it’s still anyone’s guess who will return for the upcoming season of The Real Housewives of Atlanta as Bravo has yet to make an announcement. This has led to many fans fearing the show could get a RHONY-level reboot. Still, it’d be interesting to see Kandi going through the process of streamlining her restaurant business on the show next season.