Struggling restaurant flooded with support after daughter shares a video of dad waiting for customers

The power of social media has been beautifully put to good use recently when a daughter shared a video of her father waiting in their empty restaurant. The heart-warming video has gone viral and TikTok users have been flocking to support the family business. Lee's Noodle House on Hopper Avenue opened in 2003. It is owned and operated by Vuong, Lee's father and Ha Tran, Lee's mother. Vuong and Ha serve and cook Vietnamese dishes. While Lee's sister worked at the restaurant before becoming a nurse, Lee also worked at the restaurant throughout high school. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the restaurant had seen a decrease in customers. This is what Vuong was pensively reflecting on in the video shared by his daughter.

The video is captioned "TikTok do your thing & help support my parent's Vietnamese restaurant:( my parents haven’t been having that many customers & been feeling stressed dealing with financial issues. if you want to check it out, they make delicious Vietnamese food:) 1010 Hopper Avenue, Santa Rosa, CA 95403. 

The family was overwhelmed by the support they received from the TikTok community, as the restaurant saw an influx of customers, bringing them to tears. In an interview with The Press Democrat, Vuong said that he was surprised by his daughter's video and admitted that the moment she captured was of sadness. He explained that they usually close at 9 pm but now have to close at 7:30 pm as they cannot afford to pay the bills.

Lee has since shared three more TikTok videos to provide more information on their restaurant, including videos and photos of their Vietnamese dishes. In the caption for one video, she wrote: "The amount of love and responses from the TikTok community has been insane! Also, thank you to the customers who have been coming for years, too! The comment section has brought my parents and me to tears. We are so grateful for all the support and for everyone who is coming out! We hope you can continue to spread the word about our small family business. My parents are the hardest workers I know and I just want happiness and good health for them. Please remember to be patient, as they are the only ones working!"

The Lee family is incredibly thankful for all of the support they have received from the people and they hope to sustain their newfound success. They are extremely hardworking and their daughter's video has proven just that. This heartwarming story shows the power of social media and how if we use it in the right direction, it can bring people together in support of a good cause. The video of Lee's dad standing in the empty cafe has shone a light on the struggles of small businesses during the pandemic and has reminded us altogether of the importance of supporting local businesses in their time of need.

Editor's note: This article was originally published on February 9, 2023. It has since been updated.