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Giving back to beloved restaurant owner
The community came together Monday to surprise a Pinellas Park restaurant owner with a fully furnished, rent-free home after learning she was homeless and sleeping in her business. FOX 13's Hailey Hinds reports.
PINELLAS PARK, Fla. - The community came together Monday to surprise a Pinellas Park restaurant owner with a fully furnished, rent-free home after learning she was homeless and sleeping in her business.
Influencer Julian Becerra sparked the massive fundraising effort through a viral TikTok video.
Courtesy: @juulianbecerra/TikTok
Pinellas Park restaurant viral success
What we know:
An online video transformed a Pinellas Park restaurant into a social media phenomenon because of how its name looks to non-Vietnamese speakers.
While the name caused a funny translation mix-up online, the true Vietnamese meaning translates to "beautiful lady."
The American Dream
The backstory:
The owner, Mrs. Lieng, poured her last pennies into the business to achieve her American dream.
One day, influencer Julian Becerra walked into the empty diner and noted Mrs. Lieng's bright smile and how she cooked with love.
Even though Mrs. Lieng had not seen a single customer in three hours, she still offered to give Becerra his food for free.
He posted Mrs. Lieng's story online, causing customers to pack the building for days.
The community tackles her homelessness
Dig deeper:
When Becerra returned to check on his new friend, Mrs. Lieng opened up to him about her personal struggles.
"She comes and sits next to me and opens up to me about her story," Becerra explained. "That's when I found out she had a stroke, she had lost her driver's license, her husband died in 2003 and that she was homeless."
Courtesy: @juulianbecerra/TikTok
Without a home, Mrs. Lieng turned her restaurant waiting area into a bedroom.
"The pullout chair where the waiting room was turns into a bed," Becerra remembered. "She would have her pillow and a blanket, and that's where she lives."
Neighbors coordinate surprises
What they're saying:
"Tampa has a whole big wonderful group of people who aren’t afraid to help," Becerra said.
On Monday, the community shocked Mrs. Lieng with a rent-free home located near her beloved business.
City Furniture provided a completely furnished layout for the space.
"Kindness to others is the rent you pay to be on earth and I live by that every day," Fadil Alkhadra, a sales designer for City Furniture, said.
An organization called "The Pineapple Projects" stepped in to decorate the rooms with elements celebrating her family and Vietnamese heritage.
"We wanted to bring her culture into her house," Ashley Cornetet of The Pineapple Projects noted. "Throughout the house you're going to see Vietnamese culture, flashes of her family in every single room. We wanted to be intentional about seeing each person."
Future travels for Mrs. Lieng
What's next:
Mrs. Lieng plans to keep pouring love into her dishes, balancing her new home life with her workload.
Becerra also bought her two Delta Air Lines credits so she can visit her family in Vietnam and see the original café she came from.
Becerra promised that he would travel to Vietnam alongside Mrs. Lieng.
"The entire world loves you," Becerra told Mrs. Lieng. "The entire world is moved and touched by your story. And the entire world has been patiently waiting to make sure you can live the rest of your life in this house."
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from interviews featuring social media influencer Julian Becerra, City Furniture sales designer Fadil Alkhadra, and Ashley Cornetet of The Pineapple Projects, as well as Mrs. Lieng.