22 Jan 30th-Feb 5th, 2025 phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES | NEWS | FEATURE | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & CULTURE | MUSIC | CONCERTS | CANNABIS | Many of the videos on the brand’s page have over one million views. Even then, Cusumano said the increase in customer traffic didn’t happen immediately but steadily built up over time. “The last three months we’ve been consistently slammed from open to close,” Cusumano says. “Every single day is crazy.” Her strategy of daily posting helped generate continued publicity, alongside a steady stream of user-generated videos posted by people traveling from all over the country to visit the restaurant. The social media fanfare has subsequently attracted notable media figures like Dave Portnoy of Barstool Sports. Matt James also visited during his December trip to Phoenix. Being active on social platforms doesn’t always lead to a consistent boost in sales, though. Tricia Arce of Toasted Mallow in Gilbert began actively posting on TikTok when it was still known as Musical.ly. Toasted Mallow currently has almost 270,000 followers on TikTok. She’s gone viral a few times, both from videos she’s created and through shout- outs from mega TikTok influencers. She also partnered directly with TikTok for Super Bowl LVII. Arce says that while every viral moment provides a short-term boost for her busi- ness, it doesn’t translate into the long term. She’s constantly looking at new strategies to keep the business open. “It’s like a huge punch in the gut when we go viral, because we get all these orders for about a good week or two, and then it just dies down, and we’re forgotten,” Arce says. “We’re always trying to chase that high of the next viral video.” She’s also concerned about the potential of TikTok going away. In April, Congress unanimously passed a law banning TikTok in the United States unless its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, fully divested from the app. The law went into effect on Jan. 19, but President Donald Trump signed an executive order the following day, pausing the law for 75 days. “TikTok is more social. Everyone inter- acts more, and you get more engagement, so you’re able to market yourself better on TikTok than you are on Instagram,” Arce says. “So once you lose that platform, it’s really gonna hurt for us.” Adapting on the fly Phoenix taqueria Juanderful Tacos has been mentioned by mega influencers twice in the past year, starting with popular food reviewer Keith Lee’s visit to the Valley, from which co-owner Juan Robles says he’s still feeling positive effects. Less than a year later, virality struck again when YouTuber Juan Gonzalez (aka ThatWasEpic) paid an unannounced visit to the restaurant. After handing $10,000 to the cashier to cover the cost of future orders, Gonzalez announced the free food to his social following. A huge line formed almost instantly. Robles wasn’t scheduled to work that day, but as soon as he caught wind of the plan, he drove over and started helping his staff prepare as much food as possible. When he realized there wouldn’t be enough tacos to feed everyone in line, he started handing out vouchers to those still waiting. “We told them, ‘Hey, we’re out of food, but come back tomorrow or any other day, and we’ll honor this voucher for your food,’ and that’s what we did,” Robles says. Robles credits the Keith Lee visit with helping him and his staff stay focused amid the chaos. “We kept saying, ‘Yeah, it’s busy, but it’s not our first rodeo,’” he says. Robles says it’s still too early to tell if Gonzalez’s visit will yield long-lasting effects. Sales increased for a week after the release of the ThatWasEpic video, but business has leveled out since then. Even though it was just a temporary spike, it still helped bring awareness to his restaurant. “(Gonzalez) is from Tempe, and a majority of his followers are from here,” Robles says. “I think it’s going to be a permanent marketing boost for us, the fact that we’re on his social channels.” At First & Last, Hammond tries not to take the online hype too seriously. He noted that while living in Los Angeles, he saw many restaurants close down shortly after going viral. He adds that he and his wife are just trying to enjoy the ride and see where the moment continues to take them rather than attempt any social marketing gimmicks. “We’re not doing some crazy crab on top of Hollandaise on top of a lobster on top of other bullshit — that’s just culinary masturbation,” Hammond says. “We’re just doing normal sandwiches and producing good food, and will continue to do good work. That’s really all that matters.” Going Viral from p 20 Often, videos will be posted unannounced, leaving businesses scrambling to meet newfound demand. Juanderful Tacos gave out vouchers to customers when the restaurant ran out of food. (Photo by Sara Crocker) Toasted Mallow’s first viral video showed owner Tricia Arce preparing cookie dough bombs. (Courtesy of Toasted Mallow)
