Virtual Dining Concepts (VDC) is an American company specializing in virtual restaurants. It was founded in 2020 and has produced independent concepts and celebrity collaborations. In 2023, VDC was sued by American YouTuber MrBeast, alleging a breach of contract and failing to uphold the quality of the virtual restaurant MrBeast Burger. VDC denied the allegations and counter-sued.
 | |
| Industry | Virtual restaurants |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2020 |
| Founder |
|
| Headquarters | , United States |
Key people |
|
| Website | joinvdc |
History
editVDC was co-founded by English-American businessman and Planet Hollywood founder Robert Earl,[1] his son Robbie,[2] and Trish Giordano[3] in 2020. Its first CEO[4] and current president[5] was Robert Earl. In 2022, he was replaced as CEO with former DoorDash enterprise partnerships lead Stephanie Sollers.[6] Their headquarters are in Orlando, Florida, United States.[7]
Products
editVDC has produced concepts such as Wing Squad, P.Za Kitchen, Midtown Salads, and City Burger Co.[1] as well as celebrity collaborations such as FaZe Subs,[8] MrBeast Burger, Pauly D's Italian Subs,[9] Tyga Bites,[10] and NASCAR Refuel.[11]
MrBeast Burger lawsuit
editOn July 31, 2023, MrBeast (Jimmy Donaldson) filed a lawsuit against Virtual Dining Concepts for breach of contract. Donaldson's complaint stated his belief that the company behind his chain has failed to uphold the quality he so desired, alleging that it was more focused on its own growth than the quality of the venture's product. The filing also stated that Virtual Dining Concepts trademarked MrBeast without the knowledge of Donaldson, and because of such, Donaldson has not received any compensation from MrBeast Burger.[12][13][14][15][16]
Virtual Dining's lawyers quickly dismissed the complaints and alleged that Donaldson's allegations are "riddled with false statements and inaccuracies", noting that Donaldson recently attempted to negotiate a new contract with Virtual Dining. The firm, represented by Greenberg Traurig, further claims that Donaldson used "bullying tactics" in order to escape from his existing contractual obligations without sensible reasoning. Virtual Dining "had hoped Mr. Donaldson would act honorably", but said he had "elevated greed over his word and the truth", and that he "will face the consequences in court when Virtual Dining files it [sic] claims against him". The case will be heard in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, with no judge assigned as of yet.[17][18][19]
References
edit- ^ a b "Planet Hollywood founder Robert Earl builds virtual restaurant empire of delivery-only brands". Restaurant Hospitality. January 31, 2020. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
- ^ Carman, Tim (February 18, 2021). "Guy Fieri's new chain of virtual kitchens aims to help independent restaurants — but will compete with them, too". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
- ^ "About". Virtual Dining Concepts. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
- ^ Bitter, Alex. "You can now order from MrBeast Burger through your Xbox while gaming — here's how to do it". Business Insider. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
- ^ "Robbie Earl - President & VDC Co-Founder at Virtual Dining Concepts". The Org. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
- ^ Guszkowski, Joe. "Company behind MrBeast Burger hires Stephanie Sollers as 1st CEO". Restaurant Business. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
- ^ "Virtual Dining Concepts – Moments beyond food, Delivered". Virtual Dining Concepts. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
- ^ "FaZe Clan, Virtual Dining Concepts Create Sandwich Brand | QSR magazine". www.qsrmagazine.com. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
- ^ Guszkowski, Joe. "'Jersey Shore' Star Pauly D Is Latest Celeb with a Virtual Concept". Restaurant Business. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
- ^ "Robert Earl launches Tyga Bites, first in a series of celebrity-fueled virtual restaurant brands". Nation's Restaurant News. July 29, 2020. Retrieved August 13, 2023.
- ^ "NASCAR Refuel Wings". Virtual Dining Concepts. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
- ^ "YouTuber Jimmy "MrBeast" Donaldson sues company that developed his burgers - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. August 2, 2023. Archived from the original on August 3, 2023. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
- ^ Heil, Emily (August 1, 2023). "YouTube star MrBeast sues ghost kitchen partner over 'inedible' food". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
- ^ Rosenblatt, Kalhan (July 31, 2023). "MrBeast sues his food delivery partner over 'low quality' food". NBC News. Archived from the original on August 1, 2023. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
- ^ Fantozzi, Joanna (August 2023). "MrBeast sues Virtual Dining Concepts parent company over 'disgusting' MrBeast Burger food". Nation's Restaurant News. Archived from the original on December 21, 2023. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
- ^ Moyer, Matthew. "YouTube star MrBeast now countersued by Orlando-based virtual kitchen". Orlando Weekly. Archived from the original on August 12, 2023. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
- ^ Maruf, Ramishah (August 2, 2023). "MrBeast sues to shut down the ghost kitchen-produced MrBeast Burger". CNN. Archived from the original on August 3, 2023. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
- ^ "MrBeast sues food company over 'revolting' burger". BBC News. August 1, 2023. Archived from the original on August 1, 2023. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
- ^ "VDC response to MrBeast". DocumentCloud. August 1, 2023. Archived from the original on August 4, 2023. Retrieved August 4, 2023.