Son's TikTok Saves Salt Lake City Mexican Restaurant

A 3-second TikTok video saved this family restaurant

Nico’s Mexican Restaurant

SALT LAKE CITY — Thanks to a viral TikTok video, a struggling local business was saved after the owner almost closed his doors for good. At Nico’s Mexican Restaurant on North Temple, the family business has served enchiladas, tacos, and many other meals for almost 10 years.

But like many small businesses, the pandemic almost took them out. “After the pandemic, it was really slow,” said Nico Cardenas. Carlos Cardenas watched his dad’s dream almost disappear. “I see him really stressed all the time,” Carlos said. “Not sad, but you can tell he’s trying to hide it.”

When Nico mentioned that he might have to close the restaurant doors for good, Carlos asked him to let him try one of his ideas. “Anytime he talks to me about wanting to quit, wanting to give up, it kills me, because our family, we never give up,” Carlos said.

Cardenas says he kept posting a TikTok video to help the restaurant, and he pestered his dad for a month to do it. Finally, one day, Nicholas Cardenas was in “a really good mood,” and that’s the day they filmed TikTok. The first take was a flop, Cardenas laughs, as he remembers. But they reshot it. Cardenas told his dad to clap and look excited. The second half, or the sad portion of the video, was a reality. No acting there. That day was a day like any other, with no business and with little hope.

Then, Cardenas recalls how fast things changed. He posted the video and closed the restaurant. His family kept telling him his phone was “making noise” and vibrating. An hour later, he checked it, and he had about 4,000 likes. “I was like, what the heck?!” He even said to himself, “I don’t want to jinx it, but maybe I will get 10,000 likes.” He went to sleep and woke up to 80,000 likes. And, from there, it exploded. “The next morning, I got 300,000. The morning after that, 600,000. And then, I hit a million four days later,” Cardenas says.

Life got very busy after that, Cardenas says. The restaurant was packed every day, and the family called all hands on deck, with Cardenas’ older siblings, two brothers, and a sister, coming into work, too. Yolanda, Cardenas’ mom, was already working there. They rehired waiters, a cook, and a dishwasher at the family’s Salt Lake Mexican restaurant.

Son’s TikTok saves Salt Lake City Mexican restaurant

Some customers said that they had flown in from as far away as Florida, Texas, California, and other states. Influencers flew in and covered the restaurant on their social media accounts. People sent money from other states to pay for local customers’ meals. Reporters called for interviews. Mexican TV stations called to shoot stories. When out and about, the family was recognized on the street and asked for autographs.

There was something more that drew the customers, Cardenas’ feelings for his dad. “He’s my best friend,” Cardenas says. “He works so hard. And you can see how badly he wants it, like how badly he wants to succeed. That’s why I love him.” Cardenas adds, “I feel like I’m the hardest working person that I know. Except for my dad. He’s probably the only person that will outwork me like ever.”