A small bakery in Dalworthington Gardens has learned first-hand the power of a viral TikTok on business.
Pan Pan Bakery and Café has been seeing lines out its door since its owner posted a simple video online.
Business owner Laura Molinar never expected her TikTok video introducing the world to her Mexican-Japanese fusion bakery and cafe to go viral. “We got over 16 million views on that video, which is so awesome,” she said.
It’s not just the fusion of cultures that’s hooked TikTokers; it was Molinar’s personality that broke through and brought people from far and wide.
We ran into Sonia Trevino and Novalee Cardenas, who live in Dallas, and Diana Rodriguez, visiting from California; they only knew about Pan Pan from TikTok.
“It kind of just blew up and here we are trying to catch up,” said the owner’s mother, Laura Molinar, known as ‘Mama Laura.’ “Before we would bake, we would make like one dough every two weeks and now we make six or seven a day.”
It’s a family affair at Pan Pan, and the family has been boosting Molinar long before TikTok’s algorithm did.
“It was tough at the beginning, I’m not going to lie, she cried a lot, but she’s getting there, she’s going to learn,” said ‘Mama Laura’ Molinar. “We’re all very proud of her.”
It began with pop-up shops in high school, which evolved into a brick-and-mortar shop in Tarrant County.
It’s been nearly a year since opening, and Laura Molinar’s mother gets emotional seeing the ‘likes’ and customer counts skyrocket.
“I’m happy to see her shine like that,” said ‘Mama Laura.’
While Molinar’s dad, four siblings, and ‘Mama Laura’ help her keep up with the lines, the 21-year-old entrepreneur has her eyes on the future.
“I love being the face of this place, I love showing up for my customers and seeing all the support that’s coming in, but it is slowly becoming so much bigger than myself and my dream and my vision that I once had,” said Laura Molinar. “If it keeps growing, hopefully into more stores, franchising opportunities — a lot of people are asking for different states — that’s definitely the ultimate goal, and I hopefully have a lot of time to get those dreams accomplished.”