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On July 31, popular YouTuber MrBeast sued Virtual Dining Concepts (VDC), a ghost kitchen behind his virtual restaurant MrBeast Burger. This came after he attempted to terminate his contract with the company as he believed that the quality of the food was damaging his reputation. VDC replied to the lawsuit, calling it "meritless" and "ill-advised," and on August 7, the company decided to counter-sue the YouTuber.
VDC filed a lawsuit against James Stephen Donaldson aka Youtuber MrBeast in the Supreme Court of the State of New York. The company is seeking $100 million in damages, as per its lawsuit.
Over the years, the burger chain has become one of the biggest virtual food-chain brands in the world.
Virtual Dining Concepts, who sued MrBeast, helps restaurants expand their businesses
According to its website, Virtual Dining Concepts (VDC) is an LLC that works with restaurants to expand their businesses through virtual kitchens and delivery-only concepts. The company was founded by Robert Earl, his son Robbie Earl, and Trish Giordano in 2018.
The delivery-only, no start-up fees concept is something that intrigued several celebrities who started their own businesses. Some of these brands include Mariah's Cookies, Wing Squad, Buddy V's Cake Slice, and of course, MrBeast Burger.
After VDC and the YouTuber launched his namesake company in December 2020, it enjoyed exponential success with 1700 locations around the world.
The American philanthropist earlier sued the VDC after multiple people allegedly complained about the quality of the Beast Burger, according to Variety. He said that the complaints included words like "disgusting," "inedible," and "revolting."
The Youtuber claimed that he wanted to protect his reputation, which took a hit after these complaints came to light and VDC didn't follow up or make any improvements with regard to the quality of food. He intended to shut down the project altogether and focus more on his snack brand Feastables, as per BBC.
Virtual Dining Concepts' response to the YouTuber
VDC decided to fight back against the allegations made by MrBeast and set the record straight. They replied to the Youtuber's claims and mentioned that he gained more popularity due to the MrBeast Burger brand and that the company "consistently strives to improve quality and customer satisfaction," according to Restaurant Business.
They ridiculed the Youtuber's lawsuit and said:
"The complaint is riddled with false statements and inaccuracies and is a thinly-veiled attempt to distract from Mr. Donaldson’s and Beast Investments’ breaches of the agreements between the parties."
The counter sue is a heavy blow to the American YouTuber that could cost him up to $100 million. Donaldson also posted a series of now-deleted tweets about how he was "moving on" from the burger brand due to low-quality products.
Variety reported that VDC insisted that the YouTuber made "disparaging comments" and "untruthful or misleading" statements about the company instead of supporting his burger chain. The Youtuber's constant interferences reportedly led to fallouts with VDC's customers and suppliers, ultimately resulting in losses for hundreds of restaurants worldwide.
The lawsuits are still ongoing and more details about the same are currently awaited.
