A TikTok video changed the outlook for a 19-year-old restaurant owner in Detroit.
Since he was 12, Alexander Quinones had wanted to open a restaurant. At 19, he put in $5,000 of his own savings, along with graduation money and support from his mother, Julie Stevens, to open Detroit Loves Tacos 2.
The business quickly ran into trouble.
The restaurant struggled to attract customers, and Quinones was making enough only to cover daily expenses and pay his one employee. Stevens said closure was close.
“We had a difficult discussion that day. We’re gonna have to close if something doesn’t give,” Stevens told WXYZ-TV.
Quinones said the situation was taking a heavy toll.
“I felt like I was failing in life a little bit. I put all my money into this, I put all my time into this. So it really, really hurt me,” he said.
Facing that pressure, Quinones turned to TikTok and made a direct appeal about the state of his business.
In the video, he said the restaurant was not built on “shortcuts” or “big investors.” He said it came from someone “working every single day, long nights with a vision.”
“Everything is made fresh with love and ready to serve,” he added, while thanking people who had already visited and asking others to “come by and check out what we’re doing.”
The response was swift.
@detroitlovestacos2 19 years old with a dream . 🌮✨ We are officially just getting started at 25750 Ecorse Rd! Come help a young entrepreneur build something special in Taylor. Every tag and visit counts! #fyp #local #taylormichigan #viral #youngentrepreneur ♬ sonido original – Droxxen
After the video went viral, customers packed into the restaurant. Quinones has sold out several times since the post took off.
The sudden rush has pushed him to adjust to higher demand. He said he hopes to fix that soon.
He is now also considering expanding the business, including opening more locations and launching food trucks.
That turnaround came just days after the restaurant was close to shutting down.
The support online did not stop at views and shares. People who said they had eaten at Detroit Loves Tacos 2 also praised the food.
One commenter wrote, “I just ordered catering from Detroit Loves Tacos last week for a lunch meeting at work! The corn was top notch and the beans were amazing with the big chunks of onion! We also got ground beef, chicken, and vegetarian tacos. The rice was so good too. Everyone was raving about how good it was.”
Another commenter said, “10/10!! Hands down the best birria tacos we’ve ever had.”
The story has become an example of how social media can lift a small business that is struggling to be seen.
According to the source text, the restaurant had something real to offer, but lacked visibility before Quinones posted the video. Once the post spread, customers showed up to support him and his business.
Social media can feel awkward, burdensome and sometimes impossible for business owners to use in a way that feels worthwhile. Quinones’ experience was presented as a reminder that authenticity can help people find an audience.
For Quinones, that audience arrived after he publicly shared how close he was to losing the restaurant he had dreamed about opening since childhood.
Not long after, the restaurant was flooded with customers, and he has even sold out several times.
