YouTubers
MrBeast sues food company partner over ‘disgusting’ burgers
The famous YouTuber is taking matters into his own hands after reviews of the product sold by his food delivery partner deemed the burgers “inedible.”
James Donaldson, popularly known as YouTube star MrBeast, has taken legal action against his partner in a food delivery company, alleging that the business compromised on quality to pursue rapid expansion.
The rise and fall of MrBeast’s burger business with Virtual Dining Concepts
Donaldson’s Beast Investments LLC has filed a breach of contract lawsuit seeking to sever ties with Virtual Dining Concepts, a Florida-based company co-founded by former Planet Hollywood executive Robert Earl, according to Bloomberg. The lawsuit was filed with a federal judge in Manhattan.
In 2020, Donaldson and Virtual Dining teamed up to offer burger and fries combinations through a concept called “ghost kitchens.” These ghost kitchens made use of restaurants and commercial kitchens across the country that were facing reduced business during the pandemic. With Donaldson’s massive online following, the partnership managed to sell an impressive 1 million burgers in the first three months, and by 2022, they had signed up 1,700 participating restaurants. Things took a turn for the worse, however, when customers began to express dissatisfaction with the quality of the burgers, resulting in a flood of negative reviews that called the sandwiches “disgusting,” " revolting,” and “inedible.”
Donaldson alleges that his concerns about quality control were ignored by Virtual Dining, who prioritized rapid expansion to market its restaurant model to other celebrities. The company’s other offerings included cookies endorsed by singer Mariah Carey and Nascar-branded chicken wings. Furthermore, Donaldson claims that Virtual Dining used his image on social media without permission and registered trademarks they weren’t entitled to. As of the time of the lawsuit, Donaldson asserts that his company has not received any compensation from the venture.
Previous MrBeast adventures
The famous Youtuber continues to be in the spotlight for several of his recent activities. One of them is business-related, where he is seeking $150 million in funding for his business. This has not left behind his extravagant challenges, where a few weeks ago he promised to give all his Twitter earnings for a whole month to whoever managed to get the most likes on a reply to his tweet.