A son watching his dad struggle to keep the family restaurant afloat came up with an idea that is helping turn things around.
After 10 years of serving Mexican food in Utah, restauranteur Nico Cardenas was thinking of calling it quits after the pandemic saw his business plummet. But when his son Carlos Cardenas asked him if he could try one of his ideas, Nico agreed. Carlos was determined to help his dad, who he could tell was trying to hide his stress. So Carlos created a TikTok video and posted it online.
@clumzycarlos he looks so stressed😭😭 if you live in utah, make sure to check out my dad’s restaurant sometime! It’s called Nico’s Restaurant 😁😁 #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #viral #sad #restaurant #smallbusiness #relatable #mexican #mexicantiktok #mexicanrestaurant #utah ♬ sonido original – :')
That video was viewed almost 6 million times and got 1.2 million likes. More importantly, it brought people to the Utah-based restaurant. Carlos noted that on one day they maybe had 10 customers in the 11 hours they were opening, but the following day hundreds.
Carlos’ TikTok video paid off and he’s now in charge of the restaurant’s social media pages.
Many viewers could sympathize with the Cardenas family’s struggles.
“As a kid who’s dad owned a small business, I saw that same stress and sadness he saw on his father in my own during the 2008 recession when business slowed basically to a stop. This kid is awesome I’m so glad he was able to help his family business,” wrote one viewer on YouTube.
“When you raise your kids with love and they give that love right back at you when you need it… Wholesome as heck,” said another.
“Here I was thinking social media’s ruined our society,” commented another. Then Carlos proves me wrong. Your dad’s so proud to be your dad, bro. Anyone would be super proud to have a son like you.”
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