Melanie Holly, left, and her father, Donald Jones, own and operate L&J Food for the Soul in Dolton. The new restaurant saw an influx of customers after a TikTok video went viral.
After one hour, the video had about 4,000 views, Holly said. A few hours later, 11,000 views, she said, and by the morning the video had 1 million views. Holly said she was shocked at the number of people who saw the video because her content has never gone viral.Since the video posted, Holly said the restaurant has seen an influx of new customers and a growing number of returning customers.
Holly said she’s been passionate about opening a restaurant because she wants everyone to enjoy her family’s soul food recipes, including her father’s fried ribs, her mother’s greens and her pepper chicken and rice. Her family also helps her cook and run the restaurant, Holly said.