Plano Mexican restaurant packed after owner’s 15-year-old daughter makes viral plea
Plano restaurant bustling after plea for help goes viral
Sazon de Loa in Plano has seen business boom thank to social media. The owner's 15-year-old daughter Leslie posted a plea for help on TikTok last month. Influencer buckywildchild saw the video and decided to visit. After he posted about the restaurant, people have flocked to grab some food.
PLANO, Texas - A 15-year-old girl made a plea for help on social media to get more people into her dad's restaurant.
The idea worked – not because it was clever marketing, but because it was an honest message from a daughter about her father.
Viral TikTok Saves Plano Restaurant
What we know:
Authentic Mexican food is the star attraction at Sazon De Loa, located on Renner Road in Plano. The recipes are cooked up by chef and owner Rafael De Loa. At lunchtime Thursday, the place was hopping, but that hasn't always been the case.
Just last month, Sazon De Loa was on the verge of closing due to a lack of business. A TikTok video posted by the owner’s15-year-old daughter, Leslie De Loa, changed that.
"My family's business needs help," Leslie said in the video. "We do have a small business here in Plano Texas but we're not getting any attraction at all. I'm here to see if we can get any attraction. My dad has worked very very hard. So please come enjoy some food, some tequila, some Mexican cuisine, and we'll be here waiting for you all."
The customers came thanks to the video being shared by TikToker "Bucky Wild Child," who has over 110,000 followers and ate at the Renner Road restaurant earlier in the week.
Customers and owners react
What they're saying:
Customers are traveling near and far, happy to help the local business.
"I saw the TikTok and said OK let’s go. We’ve been craving a date night for a while," said customer Jhazmin Martinez.
"I think it was pretty delicious," added fellow customer Jesus Martinez.
Other customers noted that they were surprised by the massive crowd but did not mind the wait.
"Pretty busy. I was definitely like surprised," customer Diego Osorio said. "I expected there to be some people. Like, oh, maybe he got to a few people. But when we walked in, I was like, dude, this is crazy. It’s gonna take longer than an hour, but it’ll be all right."
Customer C.J. Nelson agreed that the longer wait times are perfectly fine.
"Yeah, it’s a good problem for them to have. I don’t mind for good food waiting a little bit longer," he said.
Leslie De Loa is amazed by the community's response to her video.
"It’s just amazing how people watch social media and take their time off the day to come visit us and try some of our food," she said.
The sudden turnaround has made the restaurant owner emotional.
"Since we lack business, I have no waiters who want to work for no tips. But now, they surprise me, and you know the video I mentioned the word miracle. So, miracle to us. I mean, we’ve been here almost two years, and we’ve never got a good place, had this kind of business, never," Rafael De Loa said. "I’m happy, and I’m tired, but it’s OK. I’m trying hard. I’m trying hard every day. I’m working not 24. I’m working 30 hours a day trying to keep up now."
Moving forward
What's next:
Rafael De Loa shared that he now has a new problem. He needs more staff. The restaurant is currently hiring for those who are interested in joining the team.
The Source: The information in this article comes from interviews with the restaurant owners and customers.