On June 14, Leslie de Loa, daughter of the owner of Sazon de Loa, looked around her parents’ mostly empty restaurant and decided to try an unorthodox approach to bringing in customers — taking to TikTok.
“Hello, my name is Leslie de Loa,” the 15-year-old said. “My dad, the business owner, is a 62-year-old hard-working man that immigrated from Guadalajara, Mexico, to the United States … when he was only 16 years old to accomplish his dream of being a chef and having a business in the food industry… We do have a small business here in Plano, Texas, but the thing is, we’re not getting any attraction at all. I’m here to see if we can get any attraction, my dad has worked very, very hard from hiring professionals to exposing his business in newspapers to be scattered all across the Plano area but nothing has worked. Recently my dad has commented to me and my family that if we do not make enough money, if we do not have enough customers, that very shortly we will be shutting down. This is very sad news, not just for me, but for my whole family. I’ve seen my dad since he said that he wanted to open this restaurant. He works very late nights, very early mornings. I’ve even seen him work through surgeries. … He still wants his dream to be accomplished.”
One week later, she returned to TikTok, now with thousands more views and her dad in tow.
“We just want to come in and say thank you very much for everyone who has been coming to the restaurant and giving us the help and support that we need,” Leslie said in the follow-up video.
“Because my daughter made a video, I want to thank you, everybody, from my heart that we never had a business day like today, especially Father’s Day, and thank you so much,” Rafael added. “Thank you, and please don’t forget about us.”
De Loa herself works at the restaurant and finds that customers enjoy the food, but exposure was low.
Now, after food TikTokers and community members saw the video, the restaurant has kept busy.
“At first, my parents were very overwhelmed with the amount of people coming in, and we still are, but now they are super happy and proud of what I’ve accomplished,” she says.
Sazon de Loa features Tex-Mex favorites, tacos, fajitas and tortas.
According to Leslie, the must-tries include: the chile relleno with brisket ($15) ; the Cod Fillet al Coco, which is a sautéed cod fillet, breaded with coconut and maseca, drenched with mango chipotle sauce and smoky chipotle aioli alongside a choice of two sides for $22; and the Pollo Sazon, which is a chicken breast stuffed with chorizo, poblano and Oaxaca cheese, drenched in “Rosa” sauce and served with vegetables and basmati rice. for $19.
Sazon de Loa is located in southern East Plano at 3421 E Renner Road, Suite 113 near We’re-Dough and Mike’s Chicken.
