Judy's Family Cafe sells pancakes and personality
I talked to the viral restaurant about their social media strategy.
In the last 30 days, a cafe in a small town in Illinois reached over 70M people across social media platforms. Bella Hadid liked a few of their posts. The comment section filled with notes like, “I literally want to travel six hours just to come here.”
Welcome to Judy’s Family Cafe.
I was first introduced to the charm of Judy Wang, the owner of Judy’s Family Cafe, about a year ago. A video from the restaurant came across my feed. It starts with two people in a car saying “That’s Judy” with a stern warning to not look at her or else she’ll try to sell you pancakes. As the car passes her on the curb, the camera pans to the backseat where she has magically transported in her signature small black sunglasses. She says, “What are you looking for? I have the best pancakes”. As a viewer, you can’t help but believe her. It has over 25M views.
While Judy’s Family Cafe has been continually gaining traction online since I first saw that viral video, this month was a big one. In just 30 days, the restaurant garnered over 33M video views on Instagram alone. How did they get here?
In late 2024, Judy brought on Victor Dantas, a marketing strategist and co-owner of the agency Clear Profits, to help with the cafe’s social media presence. Judy told me, “I reached out because I knew the restaurant needed more visibility…I wanted to bring more customers in the door and connect with people beyond just our local town.”
When I asked Victor what opportunity he initially saw for the restaurant, he told me, “From the first meeting, I saw that Judy herself was the brand. Her personality, her humor, and the way she talks with people is magnetic. The opportunity was clear: showcase Judy, not just the food.”
Many of the restaurant’s videos feature a specific style of editing. They start with an eye-catching moment from the internet and then transition into Judy riffing on what’s happening in that first clip. A motorcycle accident that transitions to Judy on top of a windshield holding pancakes. A kickboxer kicking a water bottle that transitions to Judy defending herself from getting hit while carrying pancakes. A skateboarder crashing into a car that transitions to Judy in the lap of a driver. Yes, she’s holding pancakes there too. When I asked Victor how he finds these intro clips, he credits spending time watching what’s trending on TikTok and Instagram, specifically in the humor and food spaces. “I look for formats that are already performing well and then ask, ‘How can we put a Judy twist on this?’ That’s where the magic happens. Taking a viral idea and making it unique to Judy’s brand.”
Victor and Judy usually plan one filming day at a time and shoot multiple videos in that session. Victor shared that sometimes they’ll shoot five or six different skits in one day so they have content ready to go. They also leave space for spontaneous ideas. “Some of our best videos came from unplanned moments.”
Judy has become a bit of a celebrity to those who follow the cafe. If you scroll through the account’s tagged photos, it’s filled with selfies of fans and Judy. When I ask if she has always been a natural in front of the camera, she says, “At first, I was nervous! But over time I just leaned into it. I realized people love authenticity. They’re not looking for perfect acting, they want to see me being me. The more we filmed, the more natural it felt. Now I just have fun with it.”
Comedian, TV writer, actor, and Substacker Jenny Yang is a frequent commenter on Judy’s posts. I reached out to learn more about why she loves following along. She told me, “Beyond the brilliant and hilarious video concepts and editing, Judy’s enthusiasm is so pure. I love that she ‘yells’ at us with her slightly accented English. As an immigrant who had a mom who was too shy to even try to speak English, it warms my heart to see such a confident and enthusiastic sister front and center in her own marketing videos. She makes me believe that her pancakes are truly the best pancakes ever.”
Jenny isn’t the only one who is convinced that Judy’s pancakes are the best. The cafe has seen their customer base double, with people driving hours just to visit. Judy shared, “It’s also boosted catering, events, and now opportunities for collaborations with big brands.” In June, Judy’s Family Cafe collaborated with LC-lightbox, another business known for their comedic sketches. The post has 5.2M views. Judy was also recently featured on popular streamer IShowSpeed’s tour across America.
Like any good social strategist, Victor is thinking about how to keep their audience engaged. I’ve already noticed the stunts are getting, well, stuntier. For example, in a recent video, Judy is seen flying in a small plane. When I ask Victor what fans can expect next, he tells me, “The goal is always to surprise people. Once a format starts feeling predictable, we think, ‘What’s the next level?’ That’s how we ended up filming on a plane, working with props, or bringing in unexpected collabs. Pushing boundaries keeps the audience hooked and proves Judy’s brand isn’t afraid to take risks.”
September was a big month for Judy outside of the virality. She opened her second restaurant Judy’s Kitchen, where she’s serving Northern Chinese food from her hometown. Her fans are excited, with one sharing “So happy for you Judy! ❤️”.
My final question for Judy is about her pancakes. What makes them so good? “It’s the love and care we put into them. We use quality ingredients, keep the recipe consistent, and cook them fresh every time. But honestly, it’s also the atmosphere. Pancakes taste better when you’re laughing and enjoying yourself. That’s what people come for.”
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I live down the street from Judy's restaurant. She's fantastic! It's exciting to follow this newsletter for a while now and see someone local featured! It doesn't happen often in the Galesburg area - Judy does great things!
I absolutely love that there is nothing rational about her Instagram. She while being on social media is touching grass. We need to learn to lean in like her.