Virtual Dining Concepts Debuts TikTok Kitchen

On Friday (Dec. 17), Virtual Dining Concepts announced the rollout of TikTok Kitchen as part of its partnership with short-form video platform TikTok, according to a QSR Magazine report.

The delivery-only TikTok Kitchen menu will feature foods that were part of viral TikTok trends, determined in part by the platform’s over 1 billion users. A large portion of these viral videos were food-related, ranging from new recipes to kitchen hacks for the amateur chef.

All told, these videos have triggered hundreds of thousands of TikTok views, shares and comments.

Restaurants across the country will have the opportunity to opt in to the TikTok Kitchen concept and become market partners with VDC as part of the initiative, per QSR Magazine.

“Working with the team at TikTok on development of the menu and the whole vibe of this brand has been so energizing, and I am thrilled to reveal our newest VDC concept today, TikTok Kitchen, which will be our first with an ever-changing menu,” VDC co-founder and president Robert Earl said in the report.

“When we launched MrBeast Burger last December, we were in uncharted territory,” he continued. “Now, one year in, MrBeast Burger is seen as the absolute prime mover in the virtual space, with locations continuing to open throughout the USA and internationally, and we believe TikTok Kitchen is right up there in the same stratosphere.

“With TikTok’s constant support through initiatives on the platform and via their creators, TikTok Kitchen will always be relevant and exciting.”

Proceeds from TikTok Kitchen sales will support the creators who inspired the menu items. The TikTok Kitchen menu will be updated quarterly, and all menu items will be tested in advance of their release.

All restaurants in the TikTok Kitchen family will be trained and given the recipes and packaging to make the viral selections.

Related: TikTok Bomb Threats May Test the Limits of Platforms’ Liability

TikTok was in the news for a far different reason Friday (Dec. 17) after schools increased security and closed after some posts on the platform warned about potential shootings and bomb threats across the country.

Under Section 230 of the federal Communication Decency Act of 1996, TikTok and other social media companies are generally exempt from liability for the material users post on their networks. It’s unclear if changing or removing that exemption would make the platforms responsible for all users’ content.