The Puddery
Bakery · Pearland ·
Dessert shop specializing in banana pudding & 30 flavors
Dessert shop specializing in banana pudding & 30 flavors
"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
"This Pearland dessert shop received a dramatic boost after his visit: he left a $2,000 tip and gave rave reviews about the Oreo “Craffle” (croissant waffle). The videos of the visit garnered over 20 million views, lines formed out the door, and the owner had to temporarily close to regroup and hire more employees before finally reopening. Owner Janel Prator told Eater.com following the visit: “This man literally changed my life and [he] didn’t want anything in return. It’s very rare that someone is willing to come and help you and not want anything in return. I think people can pick up on that. They trust that he’s not going to lie.”" - Brittany Britto Garley
"Owned by Janel Prator, the Puddery is a Houston-area dessert business known for Prator’s creamy banana pudding; Prator told Eater that before Lee’s November review the shop was struggling, and his coverage immediately changed that—business took off and customers lined up at the front door eager to try her desserts." - Serena Maria Daniels
"A pudding-focused bakery known for items like Biscoff cheesecake, an Oreo croffle (croissant-waffle), and a popular banana pudding; business was very slow at launch (about five to 10 customers on busy weekend days) until a high-profile influencer visit triggered a surge to 130 customers the day after the post, with sustained traffic of roughly 100 customers per day two months later, prompting a pause on shipping and plans to expand into a larger storefront." - BySam Stone
"A small Pearland dessert shop founded by Janel Prator, built around her creamy banana pudding recipe she’s made since 2006. After a slow start and just a handful of daily customers, intense outreach to a high-profile reviewer culminated in a rave video in late November that compared the pudding favorably even to the reviewer’s wife’s version. The clip triggered an immediate, overwhelming surge in business — from about six customers a day to 150–200 — forcing a temporary shutdown, long hours, and rapid hiring to keep up. The owner credits the reviewer’s perceived authenticity and generosity for the life-changing boost." - Amy McCarthy
