Chances are that if you've used a food delivery app in the last few years, you've seen the option to order from MrBeast Burger. The burger chain was founded by the eponymous YouTuber in 2020. However, MrBeast Burger doesn't actually exist - it's a ghost kitchen. Initially, the company worked with a handful of vetted brick-and-mortar restaurants that would fulfill orders made through delivery apps like Grubhub and Postmates. However, as the business expanded, the company running it needed more and more suppliers. Reports from several made media outlets have demonstrated how easy it is to earn a "virtual food contract" with MrBeast Burger. The company is operated by Virtual Dining Concepts LLC.
Over the years, this has led to increased complaints of subpar food and delivery standards. Many users report that their food is delivered in unmarked boxes with no visible branding whatsoever. Furthermore, in March 2023, YouTuber Eddy Burback made a now often-cited video about ghost kitchens. The video was heavily influenced by MrBeast Burger and featured the YouTuber in the thumbnail. In July 2023, fans questioned why the MrBeast Burger announcement video had been deleted from YouTube. Donaldson replied, stating that he was "moving on from MrBeast Burger" to "focus on Feastables and making snacks." He also said he had signed a "bad deal" with Virtual Dining Concepts before the posts were deleted.
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MrBeast Goes To Court
On July 31, MrBeast filed a lawsuit against Virtual Dining Concepts, seeking to end their partnership. The lawsuit claims that the YouTuber had consistently raised issues about quality control, which had "fallen on deaf ears" as VDC focused more on expanding the brand as much as they could. “Virtual Dining Concepts was more focused on rapidly expanding the business as a way to pitch the virtual restaurant model to other celebrities for its own benefit. Tt was not focused on controlling the quality of the MrBeast Burger customer experience and products.”
“Customers have referred to the burgers as being ‘disgusting,’ ‘revolting,’ and ‘inedible.’ They have claimed that ‘it is sad that MrBeast would put his name on this." Others said that "MrBeast is being canceled over burgers." Meanwhile, many said they ‘never had something so nasty;’ ‘inaccurate marketing;’ and ‘very upsetting for the high price." All these reviews and more were cited in the lawsuit. While many of the YouTuber's fans have voiced their support for him, not everyone views him as the victim. Many have pointed out that this is the nature of ghost kitchen operations and that the multi-millionaire is merely trying to save face. Neither the YouTuber nor VDC have publicly responded to the lawsuit.
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