A viral review brought 300 orders overnight as she used Facebook Marketplace to sell seafood in South Carolina
A side hustle becomes a business
She made seafood platters for friends and sometimes sold pans. For years, she posted her food on Facebook Marketplace, which she viewed as a way to find customers similar to Craigslist, a platform she had used for her hair and nail services.
A review sparks a rush
When TikTok food reviewer Gabriel Rivera sent Jones a direct message about her seafood in the spring, she thought it might be a prank. She prepared a pan filled with snow crab legs, lobster, shrimp, oysters and other fixings. The dish was not yet on her menu, but it became known as the “Gabriel Special.”
Jones said she checked Square and saw more than 300 orders. She described dropping her phone and falling to her knees. The sudden demand was unfamiliar, and she said she could not manage 100 orders in one day.
Building a steadier operation
About three weeks after Rivera’s review went live, Jones said she paused orders for a day to catch up on sleep and reset. Since then, she has added more structure to the business and now takes orders through her website.
The site adjusts pickup dates according to demand. Jones uses preorders to estimate inventory and schedules pickup windows. She said her home-kitchen operation can manage 50 to 60 orders on busy days.
A recipe and family legacy
Red’s Garlic Seafood is named for her late father, known as Big Red. Jones said he was a chef who hoped to open a family restaurant. She said she works to make sure each pan has the right flavors and reflects the effort she puts into it.
Key points
- Jones had sold seafood through Facebook Marketplace for years before Rivera’s review brought a sudden surge.
- She found more than 300 orders in Square after the review caught attention.
- Her website, preorders and scheduled pickup windows help her manage demand.
- Red’s Garlic Seafood honors Jones’s late father, known as Big Red.