Keith Lee Gives Pearland Dessert Shop the Puddery $50,000 | Eater Houston

"In a surprise filmed for TikTok and Instagram, the owner, Janel Prator, and her daughter were moved to tears when viral influencer and food critic Keith Lee and Toast gifted the Pearland shop $50,000 and a free year-long Toast subscription; Prator says the money will be used to remodel the shop's second location. Lee says, "The owner of the Puddery is one of my favorite people so far, and I’m honored to be able to do this," later stating, "I’m honored to call you my friend." Prator praised and thanked Lee on Instagram: "I will never NOT mention your name and show appreciation for what you did for me and my family," she wrote. Lee initially decided to visit after she reached out to him "a thousand times" when the business was on the verge of closing; the video shows Prator tearfully saying there were days when she only had two customers and couldn’t pay her bills. During his first visit he left a $2,000 tip and a glowing review: "People do banana pudding, but they don’t do it like she do it," which prompted hundreds of Houston-area diners to visit, produced lines out the door and forced a temporary closure due to overwhelming demand. Lee's post about the shop has garnered more than 37,000 likes on Instagram and more than 120,000 on TikTok, with comments from various influencers including Tabitha Brown. Lee and Toast say they will gift another neighborhood restaurant $50,000 and have asked followers to nominate favorites on TikTok and Instagram using the hashtag "#itsthelittlethings"; the person whose nomination wins will also receive $25,000." - Brittany Britto Garley