Immigrant restaurant owners in New York get a boost from viral TikToker
TikTok creator Nicolas Nuvan has been taking his 2.3 million followers to Caribbean communities around New York City.
Clouds of pepper-filled smoke entice residents to stop by Irie Jerk seven days a week in Brooklyn, New York. On Nostrand Avenue, the small Jamaican restaurant perfectly fits the no-frills “hole in the wall” aesthetic that locals flock to.
Owner and head chef Niki Gordon oversees two sizzling grills all day. She said her small business is doing so well that she sells an average of about 400 pounds of jerk chicken a day, compared to just a few dozen pounds per day last year.
“I have customers from Singapore, California, London,” Gordon said. “I mean, these people flew here just to get my chicken.”
Gordon is just the latest business owner in New York City to become a viral success thanks to content creator Nicolas Nuvan.
Nuvan, 29, has built a following of over 2.3 million people on TikTok. Nuvan posts his travels around New York City’s boroughs and profiles anyone willing to talk to him, with interviewees ranging from small-business owners to street vendors and even just regular pedestrians.
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