On Monday morning, Amanda Burton took a look at the online bookings for her restaurant, Rooted Rotisserie. “It’s popping up,” she said. “It’s popping way up.” By 10 a.m., there were 18 dinner covers booked for Thursday. “We usually have, like, one reservation.”

Burton knew it was just the beginning, the drip-drip-drip of what is likely to be a deluge of business for the French-inspired bistro she and her husband opened last year.

The Keith Lee effect has officially come to Baltimore.

It started about a week ago when TikTok restaurant critic Keith Lee first announced he and his family were coming to the DMV, news that shook area foodie circles like the tremors that precede an earthquake.

Never heard of him? Well, to put things in perspective, Lee has more than twice as many followers on TikTok as there are people in Maryland. He has more followers than there are subscribers to The New York Times.

At a time when the influence of traditional media — and traditional restaurant criticism — is waning, Lee offers straightforward and mostly positive reviews of the small mom-and-pop-owned eateries he visits. Most are Black-owned. Where he goes, crowds follow.

While some old-school food critics wear disguises when eating out, Lee, who is based in Las Vegas, keeps his anonymity by sending in family members to pick up takeout. He eats the food in his van, rating each item from 1 to 10 as he goes. (If he hates a place, he probably won’t post about it.)

Last week, Burton sent Lee an email to tell him about Rooted Rotisserie. She shared how she and her husband, Joe, came up with the idea for the eatery while they were visiting Paris for their anniversary, and how they had a baby right before they opened.

But she had no idea whether he’d read it or if he was even planning on coming to Baltimore specifically, given that his visit was to the “DMV.”

“Baltimore is a totally underrated foodie city,” she said in her message.

A few days later, Lee asked his followers on social media to vote in a poll of four Baltimore restaurants that embody the city’s food scene. Rooted Rotisserie wasn’t one of them.

Burton’s only hint that something was happening came Saturday, when someone placed a large carryout order that included their signature rotisserie chicken as well as tinned fish to go. “It was a suspicious order,” Burton said. “Nobody orders tinned fish to go.”

It wasn’t until later that Lee came into the restaurant, introduced himself, took photos with guests and offered a warning: “You guys need to get ready.”

Burton laughs. “I think I was in a daze.”

Lee loved the food, raving about it in a review posted just before midnight Sunday in which he called Rooted Rotisserie “one of my favorite restaurants I had in a while.”

In his video, he starts with the eatery’s trademark roasted chicken, calling it “fantastic,” and rating it a 9.2 out of 10. Of the Brussels sprouts, which he scored a 7.9 out of 10, he said, “It’s simple and straight to the point, and so am I.”

Lee tried the restaurant’s truffle fries, which he admitted didn’t hold up as well in takeout form. He also got the LIB wings, tinned fish and pineapple lemonade, but his highest score, a 9.6, went to the “insane” duck confit gumbo, which he called a “unique take” on one of his favorite dishes.

“Rooted rotisserie y’all better be ready,” one commenter posted below the video. It’s “been a while since seeing that many eye rolls from how good the food is.”

Before heading out, Lee left Burton and her husband $6,000: $4,000 as a tip and $2,000 to cover the meals of diners inside the restaurant that evening. Many customers were on their way to an Usher concert, Burton said, and hadn’t counted on meeting another celebrity that evening.

“It was just such fun to go to each table and say, ‘Your meal was taken care of by Keith Lee,’” Burton said. “We got to do that all night long.”

Word got out and customers began pouring in from the neighborhood. A few people who couldn’t otherwise afford to eat at Rotisserie were able to come for the first time.

Tim “Chyno” Chin, an influencer who hosts a food competition show called “Plate It, Baltimore!” said he happened to be next door at fashion boutique City of Gods when Lee pulled up at Rooted. “When I tell you I was gagging,” he said (but in the good way).

Chin introduced himself to Lee and said he and his family couldn’t have been more friendly. “It was like I was talking to my cousins,” Chin said. “The banter was really joyous.”

To Chin, the singling out of Rooted Rotisserie demonstrates Lee was able to cut through the noise of social media buzz and not just head to the place with the most followers on Instagram. At the same time, Lee also shined a spotlight on Hollins Market, a neighborhood Chin said is home to multiple community-oriented small businesses and a public market that’s currently being overhauled.

“My fingers are crossed that he chooses more Baltimore” eateries to review, Chin said.

While the video is certain to flood Rooted Rotisserie with new business, it’s also validation of Charm City’s dining scene, which is often dwarfed by neighbors like Washington, D.C. Yet during his tour of the region, Lee, who doesn’t drink, appeared underwhelmed by his stops in the capital. He ruffled feathers when he said restaurants there offer “slim pickings” to those who don’t imbibe.

Rooted Rotisserie doesn’t serve alcohol, offering BYOB service instead.

While the restaurant is closed on Sundays and doesn’t reopen until Wednesday, Burton said she and her husband are doing all that they can to prepare for the coming influx of customers. But she hopes the masses will manage their expectations of the tiny eatery, which has little storage space. “When we run out, we run out,” she said. “We’re not the Cheesecake Factory.”

And while Lee dined in his car, Burton hopes that most guests will come on inside to the restaurant for the full experience — and fresh french fries.