Lawsuit Filed by MrBeast Alleges Inedible MrBeast Burgers Served by Ghost Kitchen Partner

YouTube personality MrBeast is taking legal action against Virtual Dining Concepts, the company behind his MrBeast Burger line, over the delivery of “inedible” food. The partnership between Virtual Dining Concepts and James Donaldson, also known as MrBeast, was established in 2020 to launch the menu through “ghost kitchens” – virtual storefronts that operate out of existing restaurants without a physical presence.

According to Donaldson’s lawsuit, Virtual Dining Concepts prioritized expanding its MrBeast food line over quality control, resulting in consistently poor food that tarnished his reputation. Negative reviews from MrBeast’s fans describing the food as “revolting” and possibly the worst burger ever were cited in the lawsuit. Bloomberg first reported the news.

The lawsuit states, “As a result, MrBeast Burger has been regarded as a misleading, poor reflection of the MrBeast brand that provides low-quality products to customers that are delivered late, in unbranded packaging, fail to include the ordered items, and in some instances, were inedible.” Donaldson claims that he and his team raised concerns about the food, but Virtual Dining Concepts did not address them.

Since 2020, Donaldson has leveraged his online fame to promote his line of fast food. The opening of a Beast Burger restaurant in New Jersey attracted a crowd of 10,000 people eager to try MrBeast’s food, with Donaldson himself present for the event. By last year, 1,700 restaurants across the country were fulfilling MrBeast Burger orders. Donaldson is now seeking permission from the court to terminate the business partnership entirely.

Virtual Dining Concepts has not yet responded to the request for comment.

In addition to his fast food line, Donaldson has used his fame for marketing other products such as branded basketballs, hoodies, and Feastables – a range of cookies and chocolate bars.

Ghost kitchens, which surged in popularity during the pandemic, have faced challenges recently. Uber Eats removed numerous virtual restaurants and implemented stricter rules earlier this year to combat spam. Despite concerns about quality, businesses continue to enter the virtual restaurant industry, and even TikTok has experimented with online-only restaurants operating from local Chuck E. Cheese venues.