Monmouth students treated to delightful presentation by the famous Judy of Judy's Family Cafe

by Barry McNamara

Monmouth, Ill. (04/02/2026) — Great pancakes, big personality, quirky glasses. Know who we're talking about?

Unless you're living under a rock, you know that can only be one person - Judy Wang, from Judy's Family Cafe in Galesburg, Illinois.

Through a connection with Galesburg city manager - and Monmouth College alumnus - Eric Hanson '98, Judy was on campus April 1 to speak to students in the "Midwest Entrepreneurs" class. And not just students. Her talk was moved from the class's normal meeting space to the Pattee Auditorium to accommodate two or three dozen guests, eager to hear the story of the charismatic restauranteur and viral video sensation.

"I'm thrilled you get to meet Judy," said Hanson. "She's truly one of the best people on the planet."

Judy's enthusiasm, humor and authenticity were on full display as she fielded questions from the professors of the class - Mike Connell and Herb Schmidt - as well as audience members. A simple one, from Connell, was about being an American citizen, which Judy said she achieved in 2023 after completing a test in Des Moines, Iowa, for which she admitted she was "super nervous."

"I can't believe I passed that. All those questions drove me crazy," she exclaimed, drawing plenty of laughs. But she took the assignment seriously, locking herself in a room and watching a YouTube tutorial to study.

Judy came to America from China, where her mother sold food at a farmer's market. Beginning at age 8, Judy helped with that, and when she grew older, her main job was selling and fixing computers and printers.

"I had my own company. One employee," she said, holding up a finger.

Going viral

Judy arrived in Galesburg in the fall of 2017 and worked at World Buffet. Exactly two years later, she opened Judy's Cafe "because of the American dream. I like this little town. I just stayed. For me, at first, the hard part was English. I knew 'Hello. How are you? Bye-bye.' That's all I knew. It's still a little bit hard. I use Google Translate. Victor's always helping me."

She was referring to Victor Dantas, who's played a major role in her success, producing the videos that have helped make Judy a coast-to-coast phenomenon, with customers traveling to visit Judy's Cafe from as far as Australia. Dantas estimates at least two families from out of state visit Judy's every day, and all that tourism adds up for surrounding businesses, too.

"The first couple years, I didn't know if my pancakes were good," said Judy. "But my customers keep telling me, 'Judy, you really have the best pancakes.'"

Of the first video she made in 2024 with Dantas and his Clear Profits company, she said, "Every half-hour, I check it. It would go up a couple million (views)." Added Dantas, "It went extremely viral."

"We grew up together," said Judy of her partnership with Dantas, which has led to her business doubling over the past two years. "We help each other. He helps me and I help him."

She's got the look

In a prior "Midwest Entrepreneurs" class, Connell spoke of serendipity, the occurrence of fortunate, unplanned discoveries or events. Judy and Dantas have experience with serendipity, and now merchandise is part of the business's popularity. Judy's expansive merch line began with T-shirts, which remain a hot item. "We sell a lot of T-shirts," she said. "My house is full, my basement is full."

After her first video went viral, Judy began adding products. One was what she called "my signature glasses."

"I bought them for my boy's birthday, but he didn't like to wear them," said Judy. "In my first video, I thought we needed something funny, so I wore them. Now I wear them in all the videos," and her merchandise features that signature look.

"Can you see through those glasses?" asked Schmidt.

"Not really," replied Judy, to more laughter. "The glasses are $22. We buy from Chinese factory for five bucks."

Influencer Logan Paul borrowed that iconic look when he copied one of Judy's videos. "He bought the glasses from her website," said Dantas. "Creators follow Judy to come up with ideas for their videos. That helps her, too. We make money from all platforms," regularly cashing monthly four-figure checks.

And her influence also spreads to brand partnerships, including a recent deal she's made with Adobe. "They know Judy's face is recognizable," said Dantas. "Judy likes Adobe, and 80 million people see it."

There's another Monmouth College connection to Judy's success, as one of her retail products is a coffee called Judy's Breakfast Blend. She said she likes to use "local people" whenever possible, because "We want to support each other." So that beverage is provided by Innkeeper's Coffee in Galesburg, which is owned by alumni Ben '16 and Jessica Irons Ketchum '17.

Judy's Lager, available at her new location in downtown Galesburg (which is home to a giant gorilla that's perfect for photo-ops), is brewed locally, but she did go out of the area to create a pancake mix, available in a few weeks, that Dantas said will be the best in the U.S. On the 14th try, the company got the recipe just right.

The arrow keeps pointing up for Judy's business, which will be expanding with a restaurant in Aledo, Illinois, due to open this summer. Her first location was closed for most of March as it undergoes renovations.

"I know I need an update," said Judy of the complete transformation which, when finished, has been promised to look like nothing Galesburg has seen before. Just like Judy herself.

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