Santa came a few weeks early for a daughter who shared her Christmas wish for her mother on social media.
On Dec. 8, TikTok account @tacoboutjoys shared a short video shot inside of their restaurant Taco-Bout-Joy's located in Glenview, Illinois, owned by sisters Joy Milan and Kack Keomanivong. Filmed by Joy's daughter Isabel, the video, which shows the empty shop and Milan watching the door for entering customers, struck a chord for so many on the app.
“It breaks my heart to see my mom watching the door every day, waiting for a customer to walk in,” reads the TikTok's on-screen caption. “I wish I could give her customers for Christmas.”
As of this writing, the TikTok has garnered over 38.5 million views, six million likes and more than 69,000 comments from those sharing their empathy about the situation and saying how much they want to try the restaurant’s offerings.
“Op not me crying over this lady’s taco place thousands of miles away from me,” wrote one TikTok user.
“Bruh i wish i lived there. i bet those tacos are bomb af,” commented another.
A day later, Isabel posyted a pair of thrilling TikTok updates about the state of her mom’s business.
“Haven’t had time to sit down and update, but let’s just say it was only my mom and I this morning and we ended with this crew,” reads the on-screen caption in the Dec. 9 video.
The TikTok shows a total of nine people diligently working in the kitchen on an influx of orders as a radio plays upbeat music. “We’re amazed by the support and we’re still taking it all in,” the video reads.
“This is my mom,” reads the on-screen text in another follow-up video, which explains that the shop is run by Joy and her sister with help from family, including Isabel and her fiancé who decorated the interior and designed the menus.
“The whole family, and some friends came together today to help out and celebrate an amazing day," reads the on-screen text as the video shows food being prepared. A single shot of a receipt spike holding an overflowing amount of bills shows how much business the original video attracted to the shop. “Nothing but happy tears and laughter all day.”
Viewers of the videos are all lauding the taco shop’s food, from tacos and burritos to tamales and menudo, as well as its newfound popularity, clearly feeling the holiday spirit.
“I’m so happy to be here to watch y’all grow,” commented one TikTok user.
“The algorithm is algorithming. The tacos are so good. (The hour) drive was worth it,” wrote another user.
“Drove 3 1/2 hours and definitely worth it love supporting small businesses” reads another comment, showing just how far people are willing to travel to show the shop some well-deserved love, which appears to still be going strong, five days and over 236,000 followers later.
“Seriously thinking about driving the 7.5 hours from Nashville just to support and eat!” wrote another user.
“First of all, I want to thank everybody for the love and support the past few days, it’s been incredible,” Isabel says in another TikTok update on Dec. 10. “We’re all super tired, but it’s been very worth it.”
As for how the family behind Taco-Bout-Joy’s faring with all the new attention, there are only smiles from the sister-owners and silly faces and birria tacos in more recent videos, all garnering hundreds of thousands of views. Plus, according to the shop's Facebook page, they're "hiring for a few kitchen positions to start as a soon as possible."
Another video posted Dec. 10 shows co-owner Joy in a throwback photo taken in Vientiane, Laos and shares a little bit more about the background of the family behind the taco shop.
“My aunt learned traditional recipes from her mother-in-law,” reads an on-screen text in the video, explaining that Joy is Laotion but her mother-in-law was from Michoacán, Mexico. “Since there was a language barrier, they connected through food and culture. Now, she honors her by carrying on the same recipes and cooking.”
“We all embrace our two cultures and food together as a family, and are so excited to be able to share that with you guys!" reads the on-screen text. “Proud of my Lao-Mexican family."
