There is uncertainty when opening a new restaurant — will it bring in customers, can you handle it all as an owner, what if you fail? But when your passion is feeding people, sometimes you take that leap of faith. But it doesn’t always go as planned. For the owners of a taco shop in Illinois, the wait for customers was almost too much to handle. But then a simple act of love changed everything.

When Taco-Bout-Joys opened its doors last year, sisters Joy Milan and Kack Keomanivong finally felt as if their dreams had been realized. Daughters of refugees, the two siblings had moved to the United States along with their parents in the 1980s. Life was hard at first, but the sisters grew up loving cooking as well as their culture.

@tacoboutjoysCome to our restaurant it’s so slow 🙁♬ original sound – hellothisissean

So opening the Laos-Mexican restaurant allowed the women to showcase their unique style of cooking. But when customers didn’t show up, their hopes began to dim. But one night, Isabel Milan, Joy’s daughter, shared a video on TikTok.  In the Dec. 8th video she said how much it hurt to see her mom sad.

It breaks my heart to see my mom watching the door every day, waiting for a customer to walk in.” She said her one Christmas wish was to help her mother fill her restaurant with customers.

The video then shows Milan sitting at a table in the empty restaurant, watching the door and waiting for someone to walk in. As always, TikTok users did not disappoint. Within hours of the video being posted, the comments, and the customers, began pouring in:

• ‘…not me crying over this lady’s taco place thousands of miles away from me.”
• “I’m so happy to be here to watch y’all grow”
• “Drove 3½ hours and definitely worth it love supporting small businesses”
• Seriously thinking about driving the 7.5 hours from Nashville just to support and eat!”

The staff of Taco Bout Joys celebrate after a long day. Photo by Taco Bout Joys

Another video posted later that evening showed a restaurant full of customers, with Milan and her sister busing making and serving food. Isabel, who had gone home, found out her post had gone viral, when her mom called and requested her help for all of the customers that were showing up. 

The following morning, Isabel posted to TikTok. “Haven’t had time to sit down and update, but let’s just say it was only my mom and me this morning and we ended with this crew.” She added, “We’re amazed by the support and we’re still taking it all in.” A few days later, another video was posted, this time by Jordyn, Kack’s daughter. It showed Joy in Vientiane, Laos, when she was younger.

“My aunt learned traditional recipes from her mother-in-law,” the captions explain. It went on to note that Joy is Laotian 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.”

Joy and Kack both considered this their Christmas miracle, said their daughters. They also got a lot of compliments about the food, which warmed the hearts of the siblings. “We sold over 150 birria tacos alone,” Jordyn said. The sisters’ restaurant has stayed busy since the video posted, with their Facebook page seeing a massive jump in followers.

Taco-Bout-Joys has even been voted as one of “Chicago’s Best Mexican Restaurants.” “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! Proud of my Lao-Mexican family,” Isabel wrote. Watch their heartwarming interview, below.

Sources: Upworthy | Today | MyPositiveOutlooks