Mike is indeed eating around South Florida and well beyond.
Courtesy Michael Zein / @mikeiseating
Before Michael Zein had restaurants clamoring for a visit, he was working at Popeyes in the Boynton Beach Mall. These days, the 28-year-old behind @mikeiseating has a recognizable catchphrase, a growing team and an appetite for taking his South Florida success worldwide.
“I grew up in the same little house in Boynton Beach my whole life,” Zein tells Browardist.
His food credentials predate the camera. He started working in hospitality at 15, studied hospitality management at Florida State University and worked as a busser, server, bartender and manager. Watching other creators provided the push: “Hey, if they can do it, I can do it.”
His first published video featured Korean hot dogs in Deerfield Beach. Shot after work during the week he lost a family friend, it initially delivered a gut punch: roughly 400 TikTok views overnight. Instagram told another story, with around 20,000 views.
“So, I was like, all right, I’m meant to do this,” he says.
Two years into doing content full-time, his “Holy, Holy” verdict has become a signature. Recent publicly indexed figures put his Instagram audience at 157,000, Facebook following around 31,000 and YouTube subscriber count around 15,000, alongside his TikTok presence of nearly 110,000. Those figures are snapshots, with live totals changing.
Early videos concentrated on Palm Beach and Broward counties, where he knew the dining scene. A move to Miami brought an unexpected discovery – people already recognized him from those northern restaurant visits. Now, the requests keep coming — from owners, employees and relatives campaigning for their favorite businesses.
“I unfortunately don’t have the bandwidth to go to all these spots,” Zein says. Choosing requires weighing the food, the story and whether a video will connect with viewers. “But, I grew up working in the food industry and I want to help people out.
Behind the scenes, he edited his first 200 videos himself before hiring his cousin to help. A manager now rounds out the small operation. Off camera, he likes walks, gym visits and coffee shops — and still backs his first employer.
“I love Popeyes,” he says endearingly.
July brought a two-year Holy Holy celebration at Mary Lou’s in Miami, co-hosted by Sections App, with World Red Eye documenting the festivities. Next comes a broader itinerary – New York, European travels and ambitions for additional events.
“You’re going to see more ways that we’re going to interact with people in real life rather than keeping it on camera,” he says.
So...Holy, Holy, y’all. Keep your calendar handy.
