YouTube celebrity MrBeast countersued in burger battle

ORLANDO: An Orlando-based company co-founded by restaurateur Robert Earl is firing back at a YouTube celebrity who sued the business last week over a virtual burger restaurant.

Virtual Dining Concepts revealed Monday it was suing Jimmy Donaldson, known as MrBeast, and Beast Investments in a fight about the MrBeast Burger virtual restaurant. Beast Investments filed its lawsuit against Virtual Dining Concepts last week.

Virtual restaurants such as MrBeast Burger allow existing restaurants to add menus under different names on delivery apps like Uber Eats. MrBeast Burger launched in 2020 and has grown to about 1,700 locations worldwide.

Virtual Dining Concepts, which is behind MrBeast Burger and other brands, filed its case against MrBeast in the Supreme Court of the State of New York for the County of New York.

A copy provided to the Orlando Sentinel included screenshots of MrBeast’s June comments on Twitter about the brand.

“Despite the fact that Plaintiffs put Donaldson into the food business, he decided to pressure them to sell all or a material portion of MrBeast Burger to him by using his massive online presence to sabotage the Brand and Plaintiffs’ business,” the lawsuit said.

“Armed with his celebrity and many millions of followers, Donaldson disparaged the Brand and Plaintiffs in a slew of highly damaging social media posts, which were quickly amplified in numerous media outlets, just as he intended.”

The lawsuit claims damages “are in the nine-figure range.”

A representative for Donaldson did not immediately comment on the news Monday, but Beast Investments had filed its own lawsuit against Virtual Dining Concepts last week. It claimed Virtual Dining Concepts damaged MrBeast’s brand and reputation, citing negative online reviews including undercooked meat, cold fries and unbranded packaging.

“Because the entire business is based on the tremendous global value of the MrBeast brand, it is MrBeast himself, and not Virtual Dining Concepts, who has borne the brunt of the (justified) attacks and criticisms,” MrBeast’s lawsuit claimed.

However, Monday’s suit from Virtual Dining Concepts said of two million DoorDash and Uber Eats orders in 2022, almost 70% of customer reviews gave five-star ratings to the brand.

The lawsuit claims that complaints about MrBeast Burger are similar to what one would expect with any restaurant.

“Indeed, customer reviews of MrBeast Burger met or exceeded industry averages, and the Brand was overwhelmingly well-received by the media, the general public, and customers alike,” the lawsuit said.

Earl pointed out in an Orlando Sentinel story published in June that MrBeast Burger had been so successful that it opened a brick-and-mortar restaurant in New Jersey last year. “It’s that strong a brand,” Earl said. – tca/dpa