The internet has once again reminded us that it’s not a constant garbage fire. After the devastation wrought by Hurricane Harvey, business slowed down for Trinidad Garza, owner of La Casa Bakery and Cafe. The internet stepped up to help him turn things around. It started when his daughter, Jackie Garza, posted an SOS on Twitter. “Hey Y’all, my dad has a little panaderia/restaurant,” she wrote. “He makes all of the pan dulce himself. He been thinking about closing, but I can’t let that happen, spread the word. 1 RT could bring in a potential customer.” The 18-year-old high school senior also included a video of her dad making bread in the tweet that has now received more than 59,000 retweets and 49,000 likes.
Trinidad, who is in his early 70s, has baked since he was 12. He arrived in the United States decades ago, working first in the refrigeration industry. Eventually, Trinidad, who dreamed of opening his own cafe, opened up a shop with his brother. But he sold the restaurant as his family expanded. Then, two years ago he opened La Casa Bakery and Cafe – which didn’t face any damage as a result of Hurricane Harvey – but with business stalling, Trinidad was thinking of selling the restaurant.
“He told my mom he was thinking about selling, and he even had an offer,” Jackie told ABC 13. “I begged him not to sell, to wait for me to get through college and then make me a part owner… I know all the hard work my parents put into this. They work from early in the morning until late at night, even though we close at 5 p.m. The quality of the food and the authenticity of it is amazing.”
Jackie, who plans to major in business and restaurant management when she heads off to college, then turned to social media to see if she could make a difference. The response has been overwhelming, with people from different corners of the world reaching out. On Instagram, she posted about a couple traveling 45 minutes to support the bakery.
Business has tripled since the tweet, and Jackie is now in charge of the brand’s social presence. She’s started by setting up a Twitter account and a website.