Small Businesses Reap Benefits of Going Viral with Popular Products

The Lexington Candy Shop in New York City, known for its classic menu of burgers, fries, and shakes, has been a beloved establishment for many years. Despite its old-fashioned charm, last renovated in 1948, the diner continues to attract a new generation of fans. In August 2022, the traditional eatery experienced a modern twist when Nicolas Heller, a popular TikToker and Instagrammer with 1.2 million followers, also known as New York Nico, visited and ordered a classic Coke float. Capturing the moment on video, it quickly gained widespread attention, amassing an impressive 4.8 million likes.

“The next day (after the video was released), the lines started forming at 8 in the morning,” John Philis, the diner’s third-generation co-owner, recalls in amazement. “And it was like, whoa!”

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When a smaller restaurant suddenly goes viral on TikTok or other social media, the sudden demand can be overwhelming. Owners have to adapt on the fly and innovate to serve people quickly. But savvy business owners who can adapt can bring a new reputation to their business for a lasting boost.

Ali Elreda opened Fatima’s Grill in Downey, California in 2016, attracting customers with a diverse selection of tacos, wraps and burgers.

She sprinkled Flamin’ Hot Cheetos on some of them, inspired by her daughter’s love of the hot potato. By 2020, Elreda had worked hard to develop his restaurant’s visibility on social media, shooting videos with music. But after a TikToker named @misohungry posted a video of Elreda’s Flaming Hot Cheeto Fusion burger in August, things suddenly “just went crazy.”

Queues to enter the restaurant stretched from two to three hours – for months. At first, the store was not ready for the flood.

“We just couldn’t adjust,” he said. “We stayed up late getting ready for the next day and then the lines went on and on and on and on.”

Opening two nearby restaurants helped relieve the pressure. Elreda now has 10 locations, including recently opened restaurants in Detroit and Brooklyn — an expansion that started with one viral video.

“Social media can make you or break you,” he said. “It got us into franchising and getting the name out there. It’s been a blessing.”

When Kevin Muccular opened Aunt Bill’s soul food restaurant in Katy, Texas just last year, the crowds were sparse at first, since Katy is a suburb about half an hour from bustling Houston. That all changed when a TikToker who goes by Mr. Chimetime sent a message. video in July praising Aunt Bill’s brisket hotdogs, waffles and customer service.

The floodgates opened and did not stop.

“People came from everywhere, every seat taken, lines, down the street and around the corner, a three, four hour wait, waiting time in line in the middle of a Texas summer,” Muccular said.

He rushed to prepare food and put his vendors on standby, but the demand was huge. She bought all the ingredients she could find at nearby Sam’s Club and Walmart stores and asked friends to check out stores in her area. The fire marshal was called twice from the crowd.

“We were ill-prepared for what happened in the next two weeks in our business,” he said. “We hired staff on the spot. I cooked more than I ever had in my entire life. “

Muccular hired a consultant to help figure out how to transform his business to serve the crowds effectively. Changes: He transferred the walk-up to-go orders to the online system and created a table reservation system.

Two months later, the restaurant is still busy. The restaurant now serves 800-1,000 people a day, up from 200 to 250. In the longer term, Muccular plans to open a food truck to serve people all over Texas.

“We call everything before and after Chimetime,” he said. “What Mr. Chimetime did for our small business forever changed who we are.”

At the Lexington Candy Shop, Philis thought last August’s craze would die down after Labor Day or during the holidays. But a year later, the crowds are still loud.

One weekday, Australian vacationer Max Ferfoglia, 32, stopped by the restaurant for a float. He said he found the restaurant on social media.

“We are looking to try to find what ‘must do’ in this beautiful city,” he said. “And the diner was one that just kept getting recommended as iconic through YouTube, TikTok. So we just had to come and try it.”

For Philis, the pick-up in business is a welcome relief after the diner suffered a sharp drop in customers during the pandemic. Before Nico’s visit, he was selling 10 cokes a day. Today it is 200 on weekdays and 500 a day on weekends. He hasn’t raised his prices. Float costs $12.50 including tax. In addition, people who come to the float can order a burger, fries or other menu items.

“Every day we go home and we’re tired,” he said. “But it’s good tired.”

One person who knows about the spread of the virus is Dominique Ansel. In 2013, before most people knew the term “viral,” a French pastry chef created the “Cronut,” a cross between a croissant and a donut, at his newly opened New York bakery. The Cronut created a craze the old-fashioned way through newspaper and TV news.

Ansel remembers the hectic early days, when the bakery had to hire a security guard to control the line:

“There was chaos in the morning. People lined up at two in the morning and were hitting each other. Neighbors called the police,” he recalled.

Ten years later, Ansel has many other best-selling pastries and stores in Hong Kong and Las Vegas. But outside the original Dominique Ansel bakery, there’s still a line for a Cronut. Today, the line is happy. The bakery even gives out umbrellas when it rains and roses on Valentine’s Day.

“I think the most important thing is not to overreact in the beginning,” he said. He was asked to enter into contracts for the mass production of Cronuts, but he refused.

“You don’t want to kill an idea because you want to make money,” Ansel said. “You want to build something real and you want to invest in the longevity of the product.”

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