The owner of an empty Vietnamese restaurant went viral when his daughter filmed him for a TikTok. Now it's 'packed' with people supporting him.

• Jennifer Le works at her parents' Vietnamese restaurant, Lee's Noodle House, in California.

• In January, Le posted a video of her dad waiting for customers, surrounded by empty tables.

• Viewers were sympathetic and came to support the struggling business, according to Le and her dad.

A TikToker who shared a video of her parents' empty Vietnamese restaurant has drawn sympathy from local TikTok viewers who are now visiting the business in droves, she said.

Jennifer Le posted a clip on January 18, where a man who she said was her father could be seen standing behind the counter of his restaurant, Lee's Noodle House, in Santa Rosa, California, surrounded by empty tables.

"It makes me so sad to see my parents just wait for customers to walk through the door to eat at their Vietnamese restaurant," an on-screen caption on the post read.

Le's video went viral, receiving 1.2 million views, and dozens of commenters said they looked up the restaurant's location on Google and were planning to visit and support the family.

"Seeing this right before my trip to Santa Rosa tomorrow it's a sign! I'm definitely coming by!" wrote one commenter.

Other viewers said they liked or commented on the clip in the hope that interacting with the post would cause the algorithm to boost the video, a common theory among TikTok users.

On January 21, Le posted a follow-up video in which she thanked viewers for their kind comments and interactions on her initial post. In another video from February 2, she wrote in a series of on-screen captions that she has been working at her parents' restaurant for the past six years, and while she had recently gone back, she would be returning soon to post more updates on how the business was doing.

"The amount of love & responses from the TikTok community has been insane! also, thank you for the customers who have been coming for years too! the comment sections has brought my parents and I to tears. we are so grateful for all the support, and for everyone who is coming out," a secondary caption under the post read.

In an interview with local outlet ABC 7 News, Le said business had been "really slow" for her parents since the pandemic, but that after her video went viral, the restaurant became packed with customers.

"My dad always talks about how he is stressed and tired of waiting around where we have to close early so I kind of just made the video to help them out a little bit," Le told the outlet, adding, "I just didn't expect it to blow up. I just thought, 'oh a couple people will see it.'"

Le's father, Vuong, told the outlet that his daughter's video has made a "big difference."

"A lot of people from the community come out and support us and I'm really thankful," he said.

A statement on the Lee's Noodle House Instagram page from February 9 stated that there may be longer wait times at the restaurant due to the increase in customers and small number of staff.

A number of commenters under the post said they recently visited the restaurant, and found that it was "completely full" and "packed" with people.

"So thankful for their sweet daughter and her social media skills," one commenter wrote.

In the past, viral TikToks about small businesses have helped to significantly boost sales for the owners involved in the videos. Perhaps most notably, a Las Vegas-based TikTok named Keith Lee has skyrocketed to fame, amassing 10 million followers, after posting videos where he reviews family-owned businesses to help them get attention from new customers.

In January, Lee reviewed a local independent restaurant called Frankenson's Pizzeria, and the owner Frank Steele told Las Vegas ABC affiliate KTNV that the impact was "overwhelming" and led to countless orders being placed at the business over the phone.

Jennifer Le and Lee's Noodle House did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

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