Whether you're a frequent #FoodTok scroller or just a fan of Keith Lee's food reviews, chances are you saw the massive fallout from his collaboration with Jersey Mike's and Doordash. The deal he shared included $25 off any Jersey Mike's order on DoorDash totaling more than $12. This seemingly incredible savings only took place on June 7 from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. local time. It was also supposed to happen at the same time on June 8, but was canceled due to the overwhelming demand and strain on workers that took place the first evening. In fact, the amount of tickets that came within mere minutes of the promotion left workers with lines out the door, hours of work extending beyond their closing time, ingredients completely running out, and more. Some employees even reported putting in their two week notice due to the unhinged nature of the whole event. Frankly, some Jersey Mike's employees didn't even know the event was happening. Of course, Keith Lee and the brands involved had some thoughts to share.
Keith Lee's response to the Jersey Mike's & DoorDash collab disaster
Keith Lee seems like an absolute sweetheart and is always well-intentioned when supporting small businesses and mom-and-pop restaurants. He is aware of "The Keith Lee Effect" when he promotes these restaurants. This effect takes place by way of new people busting down the doors of a restaurant after he raves about the customer service and the amazing food. It definitely was in full-swing at Jersey Mike's this week.
In his most recent TikTok, he did not call out the incident by name. "'The Keith Lee Effect' wouldn't be possible without God, without y'all, and without the workers," he said. Keith decided to take out $3,000 from the bank and tip workers affected by "The Keith Lee Effect." He did not say he was heading to Jersey Mike's, but it can be inferred that this was his way of showing gratitude to the workers in his area. "I appreciate y'all more than I can put into words, and I never want that to be misconstrued, I never want that to be misunderstood," Keith continued. Like the gentleman he is, he did not capture any of these occurrences on camera as he did not want to put any workers on the spot while recording, and he has social anxiety, as well.
Jersey Mike's and DoorDash responses
Jersey Mike's and DoorDash, the major corporations in charge of the deal, allegedly did not adequately prepare for the amount of orders or effectively communicate the scope of the deal with the individual Jersey Mike's locations. And their response was not as eloquent or helpful right off the bat.
Jersey Mike's Subs tweeted that their SUB-perior Happy Hour would be canceled. DoorDash simply retweeted this sentiment. Maybe in the future, they will communicate with their workers more effectively.