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Ana\u2019s Restaurant, in Dallas, doubled its sales after a video on social media attracted hundreds of people. The family restaurant is owned by Andr\u00e9s Soto (left) and Georgina Rosales (center). Andrea Soto (right), their daughter, posted a video on social media that went viral.<\/p>\n
Imelda Garc\u00eda\/Staff writer<\/p>\n
Like many restaurants in North Texas, Ana\u2019s Restaurant<\/a> was going through a tough time with few customers. But a video<\/a> that racked up more than half a million views on social media<\/a> changed everything. \u00a0<\/p>\n For years, this Mexican restaurant located at 4626 Maple Ave. in Dallas survived thanks to longtime customers, word-of-mouth recommendations and the daily efforts of its owners.\u00a0<\/p>\n Behind the business are Andr\u00e9s Soto and Georgina Rosales, a married couple originally from the state of Hidalgo, Mexico, who opened the restaurant in 2008, though they\u2019ve been at the current location since 2016. \u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Since last year, it became increasingly difficult to keep the restaurant afloat<\/a> due to the high cost of supplies, the fact that people weren\u2019t dining out as much to save money, and the ICE presence near the restaurant. Many of their regular customers were Hispanic and stopped frequenting the area. \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cPeople were afraid to come here. That really affected us,\u201d explained Andrea Soto, the owners\u2019 daughter, who works at the restaurant. \u00a0<\/p>\n Some of the dishes served at Ana’s Restaurant are Chilaquiles with carne asada and egg (center), chicken enchiladas (left), and flautas \u2013\u00a0crispy chicken tacos (right).<\/p>\n Imelda Garc\u00eda\/Staff writer<\/p>\n To counteract the impact of all that, Andrea posted a video<\/a> on the restaurant\u2019s social media on May 14, and in just a few hours, it changed the reality of the business. She didn\u2019t do it with a rescue campaign in mind and wasn\u2019t expecting big results. \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt wasn\u2019t an SOS. I didn\u2019t think it was going to go viral. I hadn\u2019t posted on TikTok in months,\u201d Andrea said. \u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The video showed some of the restaurant\u2019s dishes and talked about the difficulties the family business was facing. \u00a0<\/p>\n The response exceeded all expectations. The TikTok post racked up over half a million views and generated more than 2,000 comments. Starting that very afternoon, new customers began to arrive. \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe knew something was happening because people were coming in asking for flautas and enchiladas \u2014 exactly what was shown in the video,\u201d Andrea said. \u00a0<\/p>\n What followed was a sudden transformation. The family estimates that sales grew by 100% in just a few days. The restaurant, which used to go hours without customers, began filling up as soon as it opened its doors. \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe open at 9:30 a.m., and sometimes we wouldn\u2019t get our first customer until 11. Now there are days when we have a line of people waiting to get in,\u201d Andrea said. \u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Andr\u00e9s Soto, co-owner of Ana’s Restaurant, is in charge of making the corn tortillas.<\/p>\n Imelda Garc\u00eda\/Staff writer<\/p>\n The restaurant\u2019s success also comes with new challenges, as it seats about 70 people and has insufficient parking, which hasn’t stopped consumers from visiting it. Additionally, since it\u2019s a family-run restaurant, operations still rely on Andrea\u2019s parents. \u00a0<\/p>\n In the early days, family and friends pitched in to help the family serve customers, but they\u2019ve now hired four new employees.\u00a0<\/p>\n Part of the appeal of Ana\u2019s Restaurant is that it serves authentic Mexican food, a far cry from Tex-Mex<\/a> style. Since several of its customers have requested dishes not on the menu, the restaurant is now considering adding some of those items, such as cheese with chips or enchiladas with yellow cheese. But they are not so sure about that.\u00a0<\/p>\n For Andrea, the most important thing has been seeing how a family legacy built over nearly two decades has found new diners who are trying the dishes cooked by her parents\u2019 hands. \u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re so grateful. We thought it would only last a weekend, but we\u2019ve been busy every day. The community really surprised us, and we thank them for supporting us.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n Ana\u2019s Restaurant is located at 4626 Maple Ave., Dallas. anasrestrauntdallas.com<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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