YouTuber Mr. Beast files lawsuit

Mr. Beast has initiated legal action against Virtual Dining Concepts, his food-delivery-service collaborator. On Monday, the renowned content creator and philanthropist, aged 25, lodged a lawsuit against Virtual Dining Concepts, accusing them of providing subpar and inedible food. The court documents reveal that Mr. Beast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, contends that his partnership with the company, established in 2020 to introduce Mr. Beast Burger, has caused harm to his reputation and brand.

According to the complaint, Virtual Dining Concepts’ primary focus was on rapidly expanding its business model to attract other celebrities, rather than maintaining the quality of the Mr. Beast Burger experience. The complaint alleges that the company neglected Mr. Beast’s concerns about quality control, resulting in a negative perception of Mr. Beast Burger, characterized by late deliveries, unbranded packaging, missing items, and even inedible food.

The lawsuit, filed in New York, also points out that Mr. Beast’s attempts to address these quality issues were ignored by Virtual Dining Concepts. The complaint cites numerous instances of negative customer reviews, which express disappointment with the food’s quality, including raw meat, cold dishes, and unbranded packaging. One review even expressed sadness over Mr. Beast’s association with the brand, while another questioned his involvement.

The complaint asserts that the negative consequences of these issues were primarily borne by Mr. Beast himself, rather than Virtual Dining Concepts. Despite generating “millions of dollars” through Mr. Beast Burger, the complaint states that Mr. Beast has not received any compensation.

Mr. Beast himself took to Twitter on June 17 to respond to a fan’s query about the status of Mr. Beast Burger. He expressed his inability to guarantee the quality of orders due to the collaboration with various restaurants. He also revealed his greater passion for his chocolate-bar range, Feastables, launched in January 2022.

In December 2020, Mr. Beast teamed up with the Florida-based “virtual dining” brand to launch Mr. Beast Burger, offering branded burger-and-fries combos across the U.S. via delivery apps and the Mr. Beast Burger website. The lawsuit also alleges unauthorized use of Mr. Beast’s images and the improper registration of related trademarks by Virtual Dining Concepts.