YouTube star MrBeast has said he’s “moving on” from his virtual brand, MrBeast Burger.
The social media personality, known as Jimmy Donaldson, co-founded the brand with Virtual Dining Concepts, growing it 2,000 locations worldwide, including around 56 in the UK.
In a tweet, he outlined the challenges of maintaining consistent quality following complaints from customers, and says he wants to shift his focus towards his snack brand, Feastables.
However, he may not be able to walk away from the contract with Virtual Dining Concepts, which operates the brand on his behalf.
In a since deleted tweet, he said he wanted to get out of virtual restaurants, “but the company I partnered with won’t let me stop even though it’s terrible for my brand.”
Virtual Dining Concepts, the company behind MrBeast Burger, has not commented.
Initially launched in late 2020, MrBeast Burger gained rapid popularity with the help of MrBeast’s massive online following, which now stands 162 million subscribers on YouTube.
The virtual brand model has faced challenges, including issues with quality control and customer perception of deception.
Earlier this year, Wendy’s scaled back plans with Reed Technology to open 700 virtual kitchens across the US, Canada and UK.
Wendy’s president and CEO Todd Penegor said the burger chain does not believe delivery kitchens “will be a large element of our growth trajectory moving forward.”
