Jennifer Le, whose parents own Lee’s Noodle House in Santa Rosa, California, took to TikTok after watching her mother and father wait for customers day in and day out. Her video went viral and soon customers began pouring in.
A seven-second video has changed everything for the owners of Lee’s Noodle House in Santa Rosa, California.
The owners' daughter, 21-year-old Jennifer Le, wrote on TikTok that she felt sad seeing her parents waiting for customers.
“We were busy before the fire, so then I guess when the fire hit and the pandemic hit, that's when business started to slow down more,” she tells Inside Edition Digital. “During the pandemic, we were just open during for to-go, so we weren't open for indoor dining and a lot of customers, they told me that they thought we were closed because it was always pitch dark.”
So Jennifer turned to TikTok.
“We kind of just sit around and just wait for a single customer to come by and it was just really slow. So, I think I just felt really sad for my parents because I care about them a lot, so I think I just didn't want them to be stressed anymore, so that's why I recorded the video,” she says.
Her TikTok clip got over 1 million views.
She shared in another video that they had been living paycheck to paycheck.
“When I told my dad, he was in shock. He was like, 'Why would you post that?' He was just laughing. And then I was like, ‘Dad, I'm trying to help you in your business because you're always sad and stressed.’ And then he was like, ‘It's OK, you didn't need to do that.’ And I was like, ‘No, I'm trying to help you.’ And then my mom, she was like, ‘What? When did you post that?’ And then my dad was like, ‘When did you record that?’” she says.
Now, the Vietnamese restaurant is seeing a steady stream of customers.
“It was packed,” she says. “People were squished next to each other. People would try to pick up to-go orders, so it was kind of like a maze. They're trying to go around the tables and then before it was lines out the door.”
Jennifer credits TikTok, but also some possible divine intervention.
“I think we were at my grandma and grandpa's graveyard and then I was with my parents and then that was when they were really stressed about everything that was going on. And I told my grandparents, I was like, ‘Can you guys please?’ I was praying, I was like, ‘Can you guys please give my parents less stress and just some luck that could happen in their life, because I feel like they went through so much, I feel like they deserve it,’” she says.
Jennifer says it's only her parents working at the restaurant now, and occasionally she and her siblings help. And although everyone is working long days, it's all worth it.
“They're so grateful. I never see ever in my whole entire life, my dad has a mean resting face. But now whenever he is walking around the restaurant, he's always smiling, but he's just so happy just to see people. And he's just like, ‘Did you enjoy the food?’ I've never heard him say that before,” she says. “My dad says it every day. He's so grateful just for everyone coming out to support. I think that's the biggest thing.”
Related Stories
