LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The entire social media world is in a frenzy this weekend.
First, TikTok was banned in the U.S., with users unable to access the app beginning Saturday night. Now it's back, leaving local business owners like Marsean and Trish Nelson of TasteBudz Creole Kitchen wondering about the future.
“It’s been a rollercoaster; Tik Tok really got us to where we are today," Marsean said.
TasteBudz started as a local food truck in 2019. Now, they have three valley storefronts.
Business is booming with the help of social media.
“The man who like catapulted us into stardom and fame is, of course, the famous Keith Lee," Marsean said.
Since then, famous influencers like Kai Cenat, Duke Dennis, Flo Rida, “Terrance Crawford the champ, Spice 1, Eddie Griffin everyone knows Eddie Griffin, Demetria Obilor, Tommy Winkler, he’s crazy on TikTok like 7 million followers," said Marsean Nelson.
Plus, so many others pictured all across their store's walls have collaborated with Marsean and Trish through social media sites like TikTok.
TasteBudz now has 158,000 followers on Instagram and nearly 45,000 followers and over a million views on TikTok, which is bringing in customers.
“A quarter to a third of our customers are definitely social media, and on the weekends it’s sometimes double that amount or a little bit more," Marsean said.
He tells me customers have even admitted they planned their entire trip to Las Vegas just to eat at TasteBudz.
The Nelsons say the fame garnered from social media collaborations has allowed them to create a seasoning line as well, called Celebrity Chef Trish's It Hit Different Seasoning and It's Bussin Seasoning.
So, when they got the notification Saturday night that TikTok was banned in the U.S., they were shocked.
“We post daily so it was crazy, we didn’t know what to expect, we were actually talking about it late last night," Marsean said.
He tells me his daughter even cried that night in reaction to not having access to the social media site.
The ban did not last long though, and TikTok was reinstated Sunday morning in the U.S. with some features taking longer than usual to return, and some missing altogether for some users.
According to the Associated Press, the owners of TikTok are praising President Donald Trump. The incoming president vowed to give them an additional 90 days to sell the company and keep the ban from happening.
This promise comes after U.S. lawmakers and the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the ban.
Marsean and Trish tell me they just hope it's here to stay for good.
“We hope, we hope and pray that they don’t take, no TikTok prohibitions," Marsean said. “If it do, they say winners and champions don’t make excuses, they make adjustments, so we will make the necessary adjustments to move forward.”
Marsean tells me as long as the application is accessible in the U.S., the business will take advantage of the exposure and will be continuing their daily posts, and looking and other ways to continue marketing themselves through the social media site.
The Nelsons tell me they hope other business owners and content creators look to diversify how they market themselves, since there's no telling what the future holds for TikTok.
If you want to visit a TasteBudz location, you can find the address to each storefront here:
- 1917 North Decatur Boulevard, Las Vegas, NV 89108
- 4632 South Maryland Parkway suite 15, Las Vegas, NV 89119
- 4850 West Flamingo Road suite 15, Las Vegas, NV 89103
