When Side Piece Kitchen owners Hailey and Dante Hernandez opened the doors for their brick-and-mortar location back in October 2023, Hailey wasn’t sure just how busy they would be. What she didn’t expect was nearly 20 times the business they were used to, selling out consistently since opening.
Side Piece Kitchen is a part of the growing trend of restaurants in Tacoma that started as businesses run by passionate individuals, cooking out of commissary kitchens and selling their food in take-out spots or pop-ups around the Tacoma area.
Businesses like Buddy’s Chicken and Waffles, Howdy Bagel, and others have similar origin stories, starting their business during the pandemic relying on advertising via Instagram, TikTok, and other social media platforms to promote their food.
This reliance on social media has created an interesting dynamic when it comes to customer interactions and which restaurants they follow. Not only does it help boost the word-of-mouth advertising for the restaurants, but customers get a glimpse of the people behind the business more authentically.