DALLAS — The waiting area at Halal Fusionz in Farmers Branch was packed Tuesday afternoon. Because, on Monday, the small business got a very big boost.
"I'm just honestly really blessed," owner Ahmed Siyaji told WFAA.
If you haven’t heard yet, viral TikTok food critic Keith Lee is in Dallas. On Monday, he gave the Pakistani Tex-Mex fusion shop a glowing review to his nearly 16 million followers.
“It’s cheesy, that meat do fall off the bone, it is tender!" Lee says in his clip.
Hundreds flocked to try Halal Fusionz Tuesday in response, which is run entirely by Siyaji alone.
"Enormous amount of traffic," he said.
The food Siyaji makes is in honor of his late mother's recipes. He said the boost in business has meant everything.
"It just means a lot that the community’s showing so much support," he told WFAA.
So much support, he had to stop taking orders. Ericka Watson told WFAA she was among many who waited for more than 3 hours for her order.
"So worth the wait!" she exclaimed. "Oh my god, oh my god, I got ten tacos!"
Not all Lee’s reviews though, are so kind.
"It was a little shot in the heart, it was a little hard," Hollie Contreras, director of catering for Thunderbird Pies told WFAA.
Lee made it clear in another clip, he did not love their food.
"If you haven’t tried us, come out for yourself and make your own opinion," she told WFAA. "We did win top 50 restaurants in DFW, so that’s not the consensus in the area. But everyone’s totally welcome to their opinion."
Contreras said she hopes one man’s opinion won’t keep you from the food her staff pours everything into.
"It's great!" one customer could be overheard saying.
Thunderbird's loyal customers stopped by to make their support, and their own reviews known.
"The cheese on the side, the cheese crust, everyone has to know about that!" the customer continued.