Marco Ovies is a staff writer for Dished Vancouver, covering food news in and around the city. He loves cats, overpriced iced coffees, and a good cheeseburger.

<p>Influencer and food critic Keith Lee has recently joined Brooklyn Dumpling Shop as an investor, marking the beginning of a multi-year partnership between him and the brand.</p>
<p>Lee&#8217;s investment represents what the Brooklyn Dumpling Shop is calling a &#8220;defining moment for both the brand and the broader creator economy.&#8221;</p>
<p>Lee has grown to fame due to his transparent, trust-driven reviews of restaurants across the globe. After positively reviewing an establishment, the restaurant experiences what many have dubbed the &#8220;Keith Lee effect,&#8221; where there is a sudden surge in popularity.</p>
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<p>&#8220;In addition to our active current partners, as our team thought about who else would be a dream addition to our broader team, every one of us said &#8216;Keith Lee&#8217;. Keith has built his reputation on great food, authenticity, and trust–which is what we&#8217;re all about,&#8221; said Jeff Galletly, chairman and CEO of Brooklyn Dumpling Shop.</p>
<p>&#8220;When we connected with Keith&#8217;s team, it was then a dream come true to learn he loved our food and wanted to make us his first investment. It validated the strength of our brand, products, and long-term vision. As we continue to expand across North America, having a globally recognized partner who not only drives organic demand, but also understands taste, quality, and what consumers want, strengthens our value proposition for our team, fans, franchisees, retailers, and investors, and will allow more people to try our incredible food.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve always believed that food brings people together, and that&#8217;s what stood out to me about Brooklyn Dumpling Shop. It&#8217;s creative, it&#8217;s accessible, and it doesn&#8217;t cut corners on flavour,&#8221; said Keith Lee.</p>
<p>&#8220;Partnering with Brooklyn Dumpling Shop is about more than just great food, it&#8217;s about community, culture, and creating experiences people can enjoy and trust. I&#8217;m excited to be part of what they&#8217;re building and to help introduce even more people to something special.&#8221;</p>
<p class="p1"><ul class="article-see-also"><strong>You might also like:</strong><li><a href='https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/costco-canada-recall-march-3-2026' target='_blank'>Costco Canada offering refunds amid &#039;potentially life-threatening&#039; food recall</a></li><li><a href='https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/starbucks-ube-coconut-canada' target='_blank'>Starbucks is dropping a ton of new drinks for spring across Canada</a></li><li><a href='https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/subway-ruffles-sauce-canada' target='_blank'>Subway is dropping a new limited-time item based on a Canadian classic</a></li></ul></p>
<p>Brooklyn Dumpling Shop currently operates 22 locations across North America, including <a href="https://dailyhive.com/calgary/brooklyn-dumpling-shop-marda-loop-calgary" target="_blank">multiple outposts in Alberta</a>, and one location in <a href="https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/brooklyn-dumpling-shop-vancouver-2025" target="_blank">Vancouver</a>, B.C. (with two more expected to open soon).</p>


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Viral food critic and influencer Keith lee has recently shared that he is teaming up with a chain of dumpling restaurants as an investor.