Since he was twelve years old, Alexander Quinones had a dream: to open a restaurant. At 19, he invested $5,000 of his own savings, along with graduation money and support from his mother, Julie Stevens, to bring that dream to life. Thus, Detroit Loves Tacos 2 was born.
And yet, that dream was on the brink of fading. The fledgling restaurant struggled to attract customers, and Quinones was making just enough to cover daily expenses and pay his one employee. Closure seemed imminent.
“We had a difficult discussion that day. We’re gonna have to close if something doesn’t give,” Stevens told WXYZ-TV.
“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,” Quinones added.
That was when the young business owner did something vulnerable: he made a heartfelt plea on TikTok, where he got candid about his situation.
He said his restaurant wasn’t built on “shortcuts” or “big investors,” but instead was the result of someone “working every single day, long nights with a vision.”
“Everything is made fresh with love and ready to serve,” he added, thanking those who have already visited and urging those who haven’t to “come by and check out what we’re doing.”
Quinones’ story seemed to be the missing ingredient in his success. Not long after his video went viral, his restaurant was flooded with customers, and he has even sold out several times. As he adjusts to the increased demand, he hopes to remedy that soon. He is also now considering expanding the business, including opening additional locations and launching food trucks. Not bad, considering the restaurant was about to close its doors just days earlier.
Of course, it wasn’t just Quinones’ virality that made him successful. People who have visited the restaurant remark on the quality of his food.
“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,” one commenter wrote.
Another said, “10/10!! Hands down the best birria tacos we’ve ever had.”
This is TikTok used for good. A struggling business had something real to offer, just no visibility. The platform changed that. And bam, the community showed up, because it feels good to support someone’s dream. Sometimes, it really is that simple.
For business owners, the thought of posting on social media can feel awkward, burdensome, and, at times, impossible to navigate in a way that feels worthwhile. But Quinones’ triumph is a welcome reminder that when it comes to finding your audience, a little authenticity really does go a long way.
