TikTok Stars Rally Community To Help Local Stamford Restaurant

STAMFORD, CT — TikTok stars and Stamford residents Taccara Rae and Yinka Lawanson, also known as Ling and Lamb, have rallied their followers to help save a local restaurant.

Alexandra Terron, owner of El Charrito Restaurant, an authentic Mexican food joint located at 1019 E. Main St., is facing eviction.

Terron has had to close for short stints because of the pandemic. Last summer, she got sick with COVID-19, and about a month-and-a-half ago, some employees fell ill and she closed her doors for almost two weeks.

"That really took a toll on the business," Terron told Patch. "One day being closed is a big thing." El Charrito has been open for six years.

Bills have piled up, and the business was denied disaster and Payroll Protection Plan loans. With eviction looming in the next few months, Terron created a GoFundMe with a goal of $50,000 on Jan. 17 asking for help to stay afloat. She eventually wants to find another location for her restaurant.

"I want to keep on doing what I need to do in order to keep on making the food people like," Terron said. "I like to make people happy."

HeyStamford!, the popular Stamford lifestyle blog, posted about Terron's situation on Instagram on Jan. 25, along with a photo of "The Charra" sandwich, which is loaded with brisket, tinga steak, chorizo, onions, cilantro, oaxaca cheese, black beans, jalapeños and chipotle mayo.

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A post shared by heystamford (@heystamford)

Ling and Lamb have 2.8 million followers on TikTok, and 710,000 subscribers on YouTube. The Stamford couple posts clips trying new food, and videos on relationships and marriage.

Ling noticed the Instagram post from HeyStamford! and wanted to help out.

"I was scrolling aimlessly a couple weeks ago and I just said to Lamb, 'Oh, my God. Two things. A, you need to try Mexican. And B, we need to save this restaurant. We need to do what we can to get the community together and help this restaurant,’” Ling said in a recent interview with "Morning In America" on NewsNation.

The couple went to El Charrito in late January and posted a TikTok video to encourage their followers to donate. Terron's GoFundMe link was also posted on their TikTok bio line.

"We've never been here before, but we just saw the news and we got dressed and said, 'Let's come out and eat here today,'" Lamb said in the video which has amassed 75,000 likes to date.

@lingandlamb Please click the link in our bio to donate to their gofundme. Thank you so much guys! #lingandlamb #donate #save #restaurant #connecticut #stamford #food ♬ original sound - LingandLamb

Since the couple's visit, Terron's GoFundMe has raised over $23,500 as of Thursday afternoon. Supporters from around the United States, up to Canada and over to the UK have chipped in.

"I'm very grateful to God and everyone who has done this for me. I didn't know if anything was going to come of it. I prayed a lot to God that people would help me out, people who love the food, that wanted me to continue to stay open," Terron said, adding that Ling and Lamb's visit was "Godsent."

"Not many people are that unselfish," Terron added. "For someone to go ahead and do what they did... It's surreal."

Terron has 15 years experience in the restaurant industry. Popular menu items at El Charrito include the Burrito Chilango, which has chorizo, steak, cheese, black beans, peppers, onions, cactus and chipotle mayo; the carnitas tacos; and the Mexican quesadillas, which come in handmade corn tortillas with a meat of choice, oaxaca and cotija cheese, lettuce and Mexican cream.

"It's all made with love," Terron said. "It's what we've always done."

Terron hopes to continue for years to come.

To view El Charrito's entire menu, go to their Grubhub page.

Note: GoFundMe is a Patch promotional partner.