Home for the summer from college, Sophia Aquino was distressed to see her grandmother\u2019s Silver Spring restaurant, La Posada, was struggling.<\/p>\n
Her family chalked up the downturn in diners to the lingering aftermath of COVID-19 and ongoing Purple Line construction in the area.<\/p>\n
So Sophia and her cousin Brianna decided to use their social media skills to give business a boost.<\/p>\n
In a now-viral Instagram post, Sophia stands before the doors of La Posada, declaring, \u201cI have 60 days to save my grandma\u2019s restaurant before I go back to college.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot too long ago, this restaurant was packed,\u201d she says in the video, but noting the falloff in business, she continues, \u201cI think people just forgot this place existed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Prior to her younger sister\u2019s social media post, Jocelyn Acquino said there were days \u201cwhen we would get no business at all.\u201d<\/p>\n
Five days afterward, business is booming, Jocelyn said, and the Instagram video had 145,000 views as of Thursday.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been amazing,\u201d Jocelyn said. \u201cI mean our community has really come together, we can\u2019t thank them enough,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve gotten a lot of people who\u2019ve reached out,\u201d said Jocelyn, explaining that the decor is, in her words, a little outdated. \u201cWe\u2019ve gotten a lot of people who\u2019ve offered their help for their services,\u201d she said, from painting to window treatments.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been such a joy to see my grandma\u2019s restaurant be filled up, and everybody just loving the cooking that we grew up loving,\u201d she said of the pupusas and Salvadoran specialties on the menu.<\/p>\n
Asked about her grandmother\u2019s reaction, \u201cshe doesn\u2019t know social media, she barely even knows how to use her phone,\u201d Jocelyn said with a laugh. \u201cShe didn\u2019t expect this at all. She\u2019s just so happy, and she\u2019s so grateful.\u201d<\/p>\n
The viral video\u2019s masterminds are not marketing or business majors. Sophia is studying biochemistry, on track for pre-med. Brianna is studying to be a nurse.<\/p>\n
In the next week, to celebrate La Posada\u2019s 20 years in business \u2014 and the World Cup \u2014 Jocelyn said they\u2019ll be featuring some specials.<\/p>\n
She believes the mood around the global soccer contest has also inspired people to swing by.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the World Cup \u2014 having a lot of different cultures and different countries come into the U.S. \u2014 you\u2019re more willing to try all these new things you\u2019re seeing,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
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