9 Social Media Movements Of 2020 That Helped Revive Local Eateries

The year 2020 bought the lives of many to a standstill. Not only did the jobs of many were affected due to the pandemic, but a lot of small businesses were also hit hard, and there's no denying that perhaps the worst-affected were the roadside tea stalls and dhabas. Amidst the crisis in the world, social media didn't let them down and helped restore their businesses and our belief in the power of social media! Here are some of the best social media movements that uplifted local eateries and proved that with just one tap we can literally change someone's life!

Here Are 9 Social Media Movements Of 2020 That Helped Revive Local Eateries:

(Also Read: Food For Thought: 9 Big Gestures That Made The Internet Smile In 2020)

1. Baba Ka Dhaba

A 30-year old food stall in South Delhi, Baba Ka Dhaba is run by an elderly couple who serves some lip-smacking dishes like paneer matar, dal and aloo soya for merely Rs. 30-50. The pandemic left them struggling to make ends meet due to reduced footfall until food blogger Gaurav Wasan shared their plight in a heartfelt video which went viral on social media. With over 9 million views on Instagram in less than a day and #BabaKaDhaba trending on Twitter, netizens including celebrities Sonam Kapoor, Ravichandran Ashwin and Divya Dutta came forward to help the couple monetarily. People thronged the food stall in no time!

2. Kanji Vada Seller

Shortly after the massive social media movement of Baba Ka Dhaba, netizens rushed to help a 90-year old, Narayan Singh who has been selling Kanji Bada in Agra for almost 40 years now. According to Dhanishtha who shared the video, he earns only Rs. 250-300 in a day. Her video garnered about 360k views on Instagram alone and about a million on Twitter, due to which celebrities like Parineeti Chopra and Swara Bhaskar also shared and appealed people to come out in support.

3. Rotiwali Amma

Bhagwan Devi, a widow in Agra runs a tiny stall and sells a thali of roti, dal, vegetables and rice for merely Rs. 20. Her story quickly went viral after an ANI report and people poured in their support and sympathies for her hardships.

4. Tea Seller In Dwarka

While there are thousands of tea stalls in Delhi, this one in Dwarka Sector-13 moved the netizens due to the condition of the owner, a 70-year old with broken arm and backbone. According to food blogger Vishal, who bought the story to light, the owners' son in a drunken state thrashed him and chased the couple out of the house to fend for themselves. While their daughter helped them to setup the tea stall, they are still struggling to make ends meet. As soon as the story went viral, people asked for their exact location to support them.

5. Grandmother From Maharashtra Wins Youtube Award

Just like those rare success stories, 70-year old Suman Dhamne's story is about coming out bright despite all odds. With her traditional Maharashtrian recipes and a little help from her 17-year old grandson, she became a Youtube sensation within a few months of posting her first recipe. Her Youtube channel 'Aapli Aaji' already has more than six lakh subscribers, and her recipe videos attract millions of views every day. Not just that, she was accorded with the YouTube Creator's Award that felicitates YouTube's most popular channels. All this without any formal education or internet knowledge and limited resources in her home in Sarola Kasar village, about 15 km from Ahmednagar. Inspiring, isn't it?

(Also Read: Viral: This 70-Year-Old Grandmother From A Maharashtra Village Is The New YouTube Sensation)

6. Burger King Urged People To Order From MCD and KFC

In a heart-warming gesture by Burger King UK amid the pandemic, the fast-food giant urged its customers in the United Kingdom to order food from its competitor food chains like McDonald's, KFC, Papa John's, Taco Bells etc. to save jobs. It won many hearts across social media with people praising the move widely as a sign of unity amid the crisis.

7. Daughters Viral Tweet For Dad's Taco Tweet

All it took was one tweet from Giselle Aviles in Texas that brought her father's business back in action. Giselle could not stand her father's taco truck losing customers during the Coronavirus pandemic. To turnaround his business, she took to Twitter to appeal to people to simply retweet and spread the word since her father only sold for $6 today. Her heart-breaking tweet spread soon and two days later her father found queues of customers outside and sold out completely!

(Also Read: Heartfelt Tweet Asking Support For Oldest Indian Restaurant In East London Goes Viral)

8. Tweet Asking Support For Oldest Indian Restaurant In East London

One of the oldest Indian restaurants in East London, Halal Restaurant witnessed a significant loss in footfall after reopening and thus took to Twitter to write a heartfelt appeal for customers to support their business. The owner's daughter invited people on Twitter to come over and have their special curry. The plea soon had about 28k likes and anecdotes and wishes poured in!

9. Two New Yorkers Cooked Free Meals For Protestors In 'Black Lives Matter'

Amid the 'black lives matter' protest, two New Yorkers provided free meals and desserts to protestors of the movement. With 400 meals comprising chicken, lentils, a cheese dip and vegetables, and about 200 dessert trays for the protestors were distributed. They had also set up a fundraising account to raise money for their food and kitchen supplies and managed to raise over $2,000 as of 6th of June, 2020.