A New York City restaurant went viral on TikTok for its old-fashioned Coke cart, and now the 1925 “Luncheonette” serves 500 carts daily.
NYC’s Lexington Candy Shop was founded in 1925 and remodeled in 1948—but it wasn’t until 2022 that this old-school restaurant became an exclusive, sought-after spot… for a Coke float.
Viral TikToker Nicholas Heller shared a video with his 1.4 million followers in August 2022 documenting his visit to the New York City diner that “serves Coke the old-fashioned way.” The TikTok showed the singer making a glass of Coca-Cola from scratch and adding a dollop of vanilla ice cream.
That’s all it took for the video to go viral – with 4.8 million likes and 45.6 million views – and for the 97-year-old company to become a New York hotspot.
John Philis, the restaurant’s third-generation co-owner, said, “The next day the lines started forming at 8 a.m. and it was like, duh.”
A New York City restaurant went viral on TikTok for its old-fashioned Coke cart, and now the 1925 “Luncheonette” serves 500 carts daily
TikTokers create “hype” about all sorts of things by claiming that viewers “MUST” try it. When something goes viral on TikTok, other YouTubers want to jump on the bandwagon and gain views and followers by joining the trend, making it “blow up” even more
NYC’s Lexington Candy Shop was founded in 1925 and remodeled in 1948—but it wasn’t until 2022 that this old-school restaurant became an exclusive, sought-after spot… for a Coke float
Viral TikToker Nicholas Heller shared a video with his 1.4 million followers in August 2022 documenting his visit to the New York City diner that “serves Coke the old-fashioned way.” The TikTok showed the singer making a glass of Coca-Cola from scratch and adding a dollop of vanilla ice cream
John Philis – the restaurant’s third-generation co-owner – said: “The next day the queues started forming at 8am and it was like, duh.”
According to their website, the Lexington Candy Shop is “New York City’s only reminder of a bygone era when sodas and snack shops were staples in every New York neighborhood.”
Instead of pouring Coca Cola from a soda machine, they use high-quality syrup and carbonated water to make the drink the old-fashioned way.
You start with a pint glass full of ice and then add the right amount of Coca-Cola syrup, followed by carbonated water, then stir gently to achieve the perfect level of carbonation and sweetness.
TikTokers create “hype” about all sorts of things by claiming that viewers “MUST” try it. When something goes viral on TikTok, other YouTubers want to jump on the bandwagon and gain views and followers by joining the trend, making it “blow up” even more.
An independent fast food restaurant in California experienced a similar chain of events to the NYC Luncheonette in August 2020.
Fatima’s Grill in Downey, California, was opened in 2016 by owner Ali Elfreda, who has curated a menu of tacos, wraps and burgers…with a twist.
Inspired by his daughter’s love of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, Elfreda creatively sprinkled the spicy snack into his recipes.
Fatima’s Grill went viral on TikTok after a food blogger posted about the Flaming Hot Cheeto Fusion Burger on the app @misohungry and then “just went crazy,” according to Elfreda.
The viral video caused lines at Downey Grill to last up to three hours for months because the small business was unprepared for the sudden boom.
The owner said, “We just couldn’t adapt. “We stayed late into the night preparing for the next day and then the lines went on and on and on and on.”
Fatima’s Grill in Downey, California, was opened in 2016 by owner Ali Elfreda, who has curated a menu of tacos, wraps and burgers…with a twist. Inspired by his daughter’s love of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, Elfreda creatively sprinkled the spicy snack into his recipes
Fatima’s Grill went viral on TikTok after a food blogger posted about the Flaming Hot Cheeto Fusion Burger on the app @misohungry and then “just went crazy,” according to Elfreda.
Elfreda managed to turn his five seconds of fame on TikTok into a major restaurant chain by opening nine more locations to serve his Flamin’ Hot Cheeto mixes to customers. He even expanded his business outside of California by opening restaurants in Brooklyn and Detroit
Elfreda said: “He said, ‘Social media can make or break you.’ It catapulted us into starting the franchise and getting the name out there. It was a blessing’
A Connecticut-based bagel shop has been named the best bagel in New York after a viral foodie account @sistersnacking on TikTok blew up the business, and it’s not just New Yorkers who are willing to wait hours for a pop-up bagel, but celebrities such as Paul Rudd, Cara Delevingne, Chris Rock and Michael Phelps have all been spotted at the small bagel shop in Greenwich to see for themselves
Elfreda managed to turn his five seconds of fame on TikTok into a major restaurant chain by opening nine more locations to serve his Flamin’ Hot Cheeto mixes to customers. He even expanded his business outside of California by opening restaurants in Brooklyn and Detroit.
He said, “Social media can make or break you.” It catapulted us into starting the franchise and getting the name out there. It was a blessing.’
A Connecticut-based bagel shop has been named the best bagel in New York after a viral foodie account @sistersnacking on TikTok blew up the business.
There’s no shortage of bagels in New York City, but people who wanted to know what PopUp Bagels was all about were happy to wait in line for over two hours to see if the “hype” was worth it.
Not only are New Yorkers willing to wait hours for a PopUp Bagel, celebrities like Paul Rudd, Cara Delevingne, Chris Rock and Michael Phelps have all been spotted at the tiny Greenwich bagel shop to see for themselves.
The humble owner, Adam Goldberg, said: “I always say it’s an hour wait or a 30 minute wait.” I appreciate that. Please don’t feel like you have to.’