Andrew Kim went online seeking assistance when he learned his grandparents' family-owned restaurant was in deep trouble. To his surprise, he got immense responses in support of his appeal.
Kang Lee, Andrew's grandfather, immigrated to the United States from South Korea in the 1960s. He's also served in the restaurant industry for the past 50 years.
However, when the coronavirus pandemic struck, it crippled the entire restaurant sector, including Kang's family-owned sushi restaurant, Sushiya, in Dallas.
Desperate Times Sometimes Requires Desperate Measures
Kang Lee, 80, had his sights focused on retirement after a half-century in the restaurant industry so he could devote more of his attention to caring for his ill wife. However, the pandemic's devastating effects forced those preparations to be postponed.
When the Minnesota high school senior Andrew Kim visited his grandparents in Dallas, Texas, it hurt his heart to see the condition of his grandparents' family-owned restaurant.
Andrew recalled the times when Sushiya was a hive of activity. The restaurant, however, was deserted during his stay on a Friday night.
"It was really sad because you look up to your grandparents, and to see them struggle is really disheartening," he told Dallas News, as per GodUpdates.
In his desire to help his grandparents in any way, he made a fast TikTok video inviting people to his family's sushi restaurant.
@andrewrafaelkimbusiness has been slow with corona, so it would mean a lot if u came :) ##smallbusiness ##sushi ##texas ##food
Andrew, of course, thought that his video might be useful in any way. But he had no idea what was about to happen!
The Teen's Post Has Helped a Family-Owned Restaurant Survive!
Andrew Kim's 15-second Sushiya promo video went viral. It has received millions of views, and all of those sights began to attract new customers to the failing family-run restaurant!
Scenes of Kim with his grandparents and waving restaurant workers flash by in the 15-second video, which is accompanied by an energetic trending tune. He didn't expect anything to come of it, but the likes and views began to flood in within hours of the video being posted. It has received almost 6 million views and 2 million likes to date.
One after the other, commenters said that they will visit Sushiya and will also bring mates. Some joked that they were purchasing plane tickets to Dallas solely to meet Kim's grandparents. But then something surprising occurred! People did turn up, and there were a number of them!
So the day after Andrew posted his video appeal, Sushiya was too busy that the small group of staffs could not keep up.
"I couldn't believe it," Andrew's grandfather, Kang, told Dallas News. "People were lined up at the door!"
Customers continued to arrive, and the family-owned restaurant's sales soon resumed a steady stream.
Kang had been contemplating to lay off a large portion of his workforce due to the pandemic. When the business picked up, however, he immediately rehired all of his previous workers.
"It's so refreshing to see social media being used for something good. And what a blessing to see the younger generation looking out for their elders!" commented GodUpdates.
