A 72-year-old restaurant owner in Chandler, Arizona, was struggling to keep his family business running after years of operating it. But an unexpected visit from a stranger and a video shared on social media brought a sudden change. Within days of the video going viral, customers began lining up outside his restaurant, while a fundraiser started to support the business crossed $19,000.Fred Najour has owned Greek’s Grill since 2010, Sunny Skyz reported. After 16 years in business, the family-run restaurant had been facing financial difficulties. Like many small business owners, Najour had spent years trying to keep the business going. However, things had become particularly difficult recently.The change began when content creator Robert Schrott visited the restaurant. Schrott makes videos about family-owned businesses, introducing his followers to local restaurants and the people who run them. During his visit, he met Najour and learnt about the difficulties the restaurant was facing.Schrott decided to share the restaurant’s story with his social media followers. He posted a video of Greek’s Grill on Instagram, hoping to bring attention to the small business. The response was much bigger than the family had expected. The video crossed one million views, and customers soon started arriving in large numbers.The attention also led to a fundraiser for the restaurant. Schrott started the campaign to help the family keep the business running. More than $19,000 had been raised by the time of the latest report, bringing additional support beyond the customers visiting the restaurant.
A stranger’s video brings an unexpected rush
The response to Schrott’s video was visible at the restaurant within days. Customers began lining up outside Greek’s Grill, creating a level of activity that the family had not anticipated.For Najour, who had been dealing with financial difficulties, the sudden increase in customers brought an unexpected change. The family had hoped that the video would encourage a few more people to visit. However, its reach turned out to be much larger than they had imagined.The rush was so significant that Najour’s son, Nathan, had to call in additional help to manage the work. The restaurant needed more people to handle the growing number of customers and keep things running during the busy period.Anthony Cyrus, Najour’s best friend, also stepped in to help. He took on different tasks around the restaurant, including washing dishes, sweeping floors and carrying food to customers’ tables.
Fundraiser crosses $19,000
Schrott’s efforts did not end with the video. Along with introducing Greek’s Grill to a larger audience, he also started a fundraiser to provide financial support to the restaurant.The campaign had collected more than $18,000 when Sunny Skyz published its report on November 10. The fundraiser was also featured in a November 11 report by 99.7 DJX, which said the amount had crossed $19,000.The plan was to surprise Najour with the money once the fundraiser reached its goal. The campaign was intended to help the restaurant during a difficult period and give the family additional support.Schrott explained that his reason for helping Najour was simple. “I just want to see him happy,” he said. “I just want to have him be able to not struggle anymore.”His comments reflected the purpose behind the campaign. By sharing the restaurant’s story and encouraging people to support it, he wanted to help ease the financial difficulties Najour had been facing.