Taking the cake: How this Hamilton Dairy Queen employee became TikTok famous

Morgann Book doesn't consider herself TikTok famous - but the people calling in to order ice cream cakes at the Ancaster Dairy Queen might say otherwise.

And the numbers don't lie.

The 17-year-old Westmount student runs a TikTok (@ancasterdq) account for her parents' store in the Meadowlands.

Through short, 60-second clips, she takes users through the step-by-step process of how the store's iconic cakes are made and decorated.

She's free-handed sloths swinging from trees and exposed the secret behind how Harry Styles' face could end up on your cake.

Since January, she's amassed more than 1.3 million followers and her videos have accumulated more than 32.5 million views.

While she's also made videos focusing on Blizzards, it was the cakes that brought the followers.

I started this account for fun ... and it just created this amazing thing," said Book, who works as a shift supervisor at the Golf Links Road store. It confused me at first, because this was something that I did every day for the past four years."

Book said she originally started the account when it was cold outside and quiet in the store - following the lead of Dylan Lemay, a popular TikToker who works at a Coldstone Creamery in the United States.

The growth of her account started slow, but then COVID-19 hit and by summer it took off. At her peak, Book was making at least three videos a day and gaining 100,000 new followers a week.

I needed something to focus on. I had school up until the end of June, then when summer hit I was kind of just working but I missed having something to put hard work into," she added. It was crazy."

How Book films the TikToks has been an ever-changing process.

At first, she would tape her phone around the store or put it in a cup and hope for the best. Other times, she would get a co-worker to film for her.

Now, with a little bit of innovation and an Amazon purchase, Book films the videos with her phone secured in a bendy tripod wrapped around her neck, making for a point-of-view perspective.

And the customers have caught on - with some even requesting their cakes be filmed for TikTok.

Book said one birthday cake alone scored a young follower nearly 30,000 of her own new fans as she was tagged on the video.

Actually getting to know that the customers are buying the cakes and people get to see how it's made and decorated ... that's a really cool aspect of it," she added. I've met so many good people."

She's also collaborated with other TikTok stars, had fans come in for photos with her and people have come all the way from Oakville and Mississauga to get one of her cakes.

But it's not the photos and views - although she has millions of them - that are her favourite part. Book said it's the comments and messages she gets from her followers.

She's been told her voice is relaxing," while others say her videos are satisfying" to watch. Some people are just discovering that Dairy Queen makes their cakes in-house.

Others have said her videos are helping them grieve the loss of a family member that loved Dairy Queen or take their minds off a bad break up.

It makes me smile every time," said Book. I never thought something like this would help ... just crazy things I would never think of."

Those messages, she said, are the ones that wash away" the occasional nasty comment she'll get.

And she tries to respond to every single one.

I don't consider myself famous," said Book. They're so kind and supportive ... it's a surreal experience."

Fallon Hewitt is a Hamilton-based reporter at The Spectator. Reach her via email: fhewitt@thespec.com