TikTok is getting prepared to launch a new service that will turn its viral food videos into real meals which you can even order and enjoy. It is reported by Bloomberg that The media platform is partnering with Virtual Dining Concepts and Grubhub to launch “TikTok Kitchen”-branded delivery-only restaurants across the United States next year. The menu in the restaurants will be from some of the followed viral food trends on TikTok, which people can have been delivered to their door through Grubhub. The platform plans to launch initially 300 sites that will begin delivering dishes in March, TikTok also plans that the venture will be later extended to about 1,000 kitchens by the end of 2022.
The initial menu will contain the highest TikTok viral dishes like baked feta pasta, a smash burger, corn ribs, and pasta chips. The baked feta, in certain, achieved outstanding traction in 2021 as tech giant Google informed that it was the most-searched dish of 2021 after it achieved massive popularity at TikTok. Going forward, the menu at the sites will be amended quarterly with unique dishes which have been started to get viral. It is unknown whether TikTok will decide to create some popular dishes, like the baked feta pasta, permanent offerings on the menu.
TechCrunch has been confirmed by TikTok that creators will be given credit for dishes within the menu also will be featured prominently throughout the partnership.
“Proceeds from TikTok Kitchen sales will go to both support the creators who inspired the menu item and to encourage and assist other creators to express themselves on the platform in keeping with TikTok’s mission to inspire creativity and bring joy to its users,” TikTok said.
The company explained, however, that this was more of a campaign to bring TikTok meals to fans, and not TikTok’s venturing into the restaurant business. This tells that the company probably sees this as a marketing effort, instead of a long-term business. The platform didn’t tell how long this “campaign” will operate, or provide further things regarding the ordering process, or how the menu items will be chosen and refreshed.
Established in 2018, Virtual Dining Concepts operates many delivery-only ghost restaurants and has partnered with several notable people, including YouTube celebrity MrBeast (who runs his own virtual restaurant business, MrBeast Burger), Guy Fieri, Steve Harvey, Mariah Carey, Tyga, and others. VDC even has a collaboration with Barstool Sports. In October, Virtual Dining Concepts raised $20 million in Series A funding, stating that it intended to utilize the investment to support additional technology, improve corporate infrastructure, and additional marketing and customer support.
TikTok is widely known for viral food trends also is home to multiple viral recipes which are usually reshared at different social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. The media platform’s latest partnership suggests that the company is looking to bring the benefit of the popularity to increase the profile of its company and those creators that are fueling the food content in its app.
Image Credits: Virtual Dining Concepts