HOUSTON – Thanks to customers of the Cool Runnings Jamaican Grill in southwest Houston -- the owner says the business caught the attention of viral food critic Keith Lee.
Cool Runnings Jamaican Bar & Grill, located at 8270 W Bellfort Ave., is known to serve authentic Jamaican and Caribbean food. The owner, Janay Henry, of California, and her husband, who is from Jamaica, first opened their doors on April 26, 2009 and have gained loyal customers in the Houston area for nearly 15 years.
Henry told KPRC 2 Digital Content Producer Brittany Taylor she is thankful her customers recommended them and grabbed Lee’s attention by tagging him on their social media accounts.
Lee’s TikTok review of the restaurant received more than 2 million views and over 400,000 likes. He said he picked Cool Runnings after he saw an Instagram post about a recent theft it experienced.
According to the social post, a still frame photo shows the thief running out of the restaurant after snatching its donation jar.
Henry said the thief walked into the restaurant Sunday at around 10:30 a.m. wearing a bonnet, slippers and a bathrobe before snatching the jar. She said she decided to not press charges, saying, “this person obviously needed the money more than we did.”
Lee spent $55.93 on his food ordered and said he couldn’t see much of its customer service because he had to order through Door Dash as Cool Runnings doesn’t take phone orders. He said when his family came to the restaurant to pick up the order, the employee was really nice.
Here’s what he ordered and how the items were rated:
Jamaican Beef Patty: 4/10 - “In my opinion it is a little dry.”
Jerk Chicken: 6/10 without the sauce and 8.7/10 with the sauce -- “The chicken is a little dry.”
Ackee & Saltfish: 7.5/10 - “That’s an acquired taste for sure.”
Brown Stew Chicken: 10/10 - “This is the best plate I had since I’ve been here.”
After reviewing the food, Lee went inside the restaurant and tipped the staff triple the donation money that was stolen from them, which was about $50 to $60.
Henry said the money in the tipping jar is donated to Kingston College, a high school in Jamaica where her husband graduated from. She said the money benefits the high school’s marching band such as equipment, uniforms and more.
Lee tipped them $1,000 for the donation jar and also tipped the employees and owner. He also paid $500 for everyone’s food inside the restaurant and added additional tips.
“That’s some of the best food we had in Houston, and Houston has a plethora of places to choose from,” Lee said. “That’s one thing about Houston -- Houston has the most diverse and biggest array of food that I’ve had since we’ve been on food tour.”
Henry said she is truly grateful for his generosity and said that “the Keith Lee effect is real.”
Since Lee’s visit, if you type in the restaurant’s name on Google Maps, it currently says its “trending.” The owner also said their social media platforms have grown by the thousands and they’ve seen a growth in customers since his review.
Watch my full review of Cool Runnings food:
“We are truly grateful for his generosity,” Henry said. “We didn’t expect it and we didn’t expect him to see us. We are grateful and humble.”
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