Social media platform TikTok, which has had a tenuous relationship with the US, is opening up the new delivery-only TikTok Kitchen across the country starting March next year. The restaurants, in partnership with Virtual Dining Concepts (VDC), will let people order from a menu curated with some of the most popular recipes on the platform.
VDC is known for collaborating with celebrities to make restaurant concepts that are sold through partner franchises. The company is responsible for restaurants carrying the names of Mario Lopez, Steve Harvey, Mariah Carey, and even YouTuber MrBeast’s MrBeast Burger.
Co-founder Robert Earl said that VDC plans to launch 300 TikTok Kitchen outlets simultaneously, similar to MrBeast Burger, and up to 1000 outlets by the end of 2022. Among the menu items is the baked feta pasta, which was the most-searched recipe in 2021 on Google. Other launch dishes include pasta chips with dip, corn ribs, and smash burger.
Earl added that the prices will be comparable to its other brands — for example, a MrBeast burger starts at US$6.99 (~RM29) — and that the menu will be updated every quarter to reflect food trends. TikTok will apparently be giving some of the profits to the creators responsible for the recipes, but it didn’t determine whether it would go to the person who originally made it, or someone who just copied it and made it go viral.
(Source: Business Insider)
