YouTuber MrBeast said his reputation took a hit when the food delivery service he partnered with served “low quality” and “inedible” food.
On Monday, he filed a lawsuit against food service company Virtual Dining Concepts to end the partnership early.
MrBeast, whose name is Jimmy Donaldson, is the most-followed individual on YouTube. He started out by making compilation videos of Minecraft and Call of Duty, but has pivoted over time and now has 172 million followers.
Lately, he’s gone viral for charity endeavors and philanthropic pursuits like removing trash from the ocean.
But his online following isn’t all positive, and some have questioned the motives for acts of charity, accusing him of clout chasing.
He’s also waded into the snack business with his brand Feastables, which sells candy such as gummies and peanut butter-flavored chocolate bars known as “deez nuts.”
In December 2020, Donaldson partnered with Virtual Dining Concepts for a burger and fries meal branded as the MrBeast burger.
Virtual Dining Concepts is a Florida-based company that operates ghost kitchens, concepts that don’t have a physical location and instead serve food from already existing restaurants.
But the creator claims there are quality issues with the food. In the lawsuit, it described burgers that were delivered late and in unbranded packaging and which didn’t match the order customers made.
The lawsuit also details how customers didn’t mince words criticizing the food, with reviewers saying on YouTube, Reddit, and other platforms that burgers they received were raw. Some said they had “never had something so nasty” and that it was “likely the worst burger I have ever had.”
Last month, MrBeast tweeted that he couldn’t guarantee the quality of the MrBeast burger and that Feastables is an area he’s more passionate about.
Legal action against MrBeast’s ghost kitchen comes as the branded food market grows in popularity, with other stars like Mariah Carey lending their names to ventures.
In MrBeast’s claim, having his name tied to burgers people think of as foul has “materially and irreparably harmed” his reputation and brand, the lawsuit says.
He said he hasn’t received any money from the partnership, even as the burger raked in money.
Recently, one fan tweeted at him asking if the MrBeast burger was done for good.
In response, he said it’s “impossible to control” the quality when working with other restaurants, but didn’t say if the burger was done for good.
According to NBC, neither MrBeast nor Virtual Dining Concepts commented on the lawsuit.
