This Brooklyn Chef Told Customers His Restaurant Was Failing. Their Response Saved It

"Agi's is struggling and if that comes to you as a surprise, that's totally understandable. There's this old stigma around restaurants or small businesses that it's not cool or sexy to talk about your struggles. Salomon's restaurant was facing financial and labor issues, so he took to social media as a last resort, figuring that since the restaurant received its first funding from Kickstarter, the community that started it could save it."

"At 13, Salomon's parents took him to a local restaurant owned by his grandparents' friends, where he glimpsed the kitchen and dreamed of owning a restaurant. However, the chef discouraged him, saying please don't do that. This discouragement seemed to recur throughout his career, yet Salomon persisted in pursuing his passion for hospitality and food."

"Salomon offered easy ways for customers to help Agi's Counter: buying a pie or a gift card, dining in, or making reservations. What followed was the most insane two months of his career, with a line outside the restaurant crowding the streets the day after posting, demonstrating the power of community support and transparency."

Jeremy Salomon, chef and owner of Agi's Counter in Brooklyn, faced financial and labor difficulties that threatened to close his Hungarian restaurant within a week. Rather than quietly shutting down, Salomon posted a viral Instagram video acknowledging the struggle, breaking the stigma around discussing business hardship. The restaurant, inspired by his grandmother Agi's Holocaust survivor recipes and initially funded through Kickstarter, had built strong community connections. Salomon offered multiple ways for customers to help: purchasing pies, buying gift cards, dining in, or making reservations. The response was overwhelming, with lines forming outside the restaurant the day after the post and continuing for months, ultimately saving the business.

Read at Inc