Can TikTok save a Seattle restaurant? La Palma bets on a 30-day challenge
Nov 3, 2026, 11:45 AM | Updated: 11:47 am
Photograph shows display of Mexican-themed food items including eggs wrapped in tortillas and smothered in salsa, refried beans, breads and pastries, papaya, and lime, 1970s. (Photo courtesy: Hulton Archive, Getty Images)
(Photo courtesy: Hulton Archive, Getty Images)
Seattle Mexican restaurant, La Palma, has launched a 30-day social media challenge to help keep its doors open. The restaurant has served Seattle neighborhoods for 50 years, according to its Instagram page. Now, the owners’ granddaughter is making one final push to attract enough support to keep the family business alive.
“My grandpa doesn’t know TikTok can actually make a difference and honestly, neither do I,” Loren Jewett, the owners’ granddaughter, said in an Instagram video. “Business has been struggling, and we’re worried about its future.”
Likes, shares and a race to stay open
The first few days of the challenge have reportedly brought customers through the doors and boosted engagement online. Through daily videos posted by the restaurant, shares from Seattle-area food influencers, and local media coverage, La Palma’s Instagram page has generated more than 28,000 likes and 1,400 comments on a single video. The same video has racked up more than 187,000 views and 28,000 likes on TikTok.
In another video, Jewett showed how the restaurant’s parking lot was full and encouraged customers to carpool if possible.
By days three and four of the 30-day challenge, Jewett highlighted that the restaurant was packed yet again. Jewett thanked the community for its support and urged customers to keep the momentum going.
For those looking to support La Palma, the restaurant is located in North Queen Anne at 3456 15th Ave. W. The countdown is on: about 25 days remain in the fight to keep the restaurant’s doors open.
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La Palma history
Pedro and Astrid Perez founded La Palma Family Mexican Restaurant in 1976, according to the La Palma website.
The restaurant survived hard times like recessions and the COVID-19 pandemic, Jewett described in one of the restaurant’s videos. She hopes social media can make the difference.
Pedro Perez was the main cook for 25 years, and all the restaurant’s recipes came from him, KOMO News reported
Perez immigrated to Washington from Mexico in the early 70s seeking an opportunity to work with Weyerhaeuser. He soon realized he had traveled to the wrong Washington when he couldn’t find the White House, according to KOMO News. He didn’t think he would be in the area long term, but after meeting his soon-to-be wife and buying the restaurant in 1976, Seattle became home.
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