TikTok is opening restaurants to sell viral food

April 2023 · 2 minute read

You know that viral recipe on TikTok that you’ve always wanted to try? Now, you finally can, as the social media app is creating its own restaurant to sell its most popular dishes.

TikTok is a hive for all sorts of viral content. The popular app has spawned a slew of dances, songs, memes, and other trends that have taken over the internet this past year.

Some of the biggest trends to come from TikTok are recipes. Remember the viral Feta Pasta that was storming the net a few months back?

Now, it looks like viewers will be able to snag the pasta — along with a bunch of other trending food — without the fear of messing it up and wasting money on ingredients.

This baked feta pasta took over TikTok – and it’s still trending on Google searches today.

TikTok to open up restaurants to serve viral recipes

TikTok is moving from the world of social media to the world of culinary arts by launching TikTok Kitchens. In partnership with Virtual Dining Concepts (VDC), TikTok Kitchens will be a delivery-only meal service that ships your favorite viral foods right to your door.

As first reported by Bloomberg, VDC and TikTok are set to open around 300 locations in the United States, with plans on expanding worldwide to 1,000 locations by the end of 2022.

Click here if TikTok fails to load.

@cookitericaViral baked 1 pan Mac & Cheese 🧀 #bakedmacandcheese #macandcheese #ceoofsauwce #tiktokfood #easydinner #fetapasta #easyrecipe♬ Soul Catcher – MikhailovMusic

Of course, one major tenet of TikTok’s user culture is the near-constant surfacing of new trends and viral moments… so, naturally, TikTok Kitchens plans to rotate its menu every quarter.

To start, though, TikTok Kitchens will reportedly feature the app’s groundbreaking Feta Pasta, crispy Pasta Chips, the Smash Burger, and air-fried corn strips (called “Corn Ribs”).

Pasta Chips were also a viral hit on TikTok – air-fried and seasoned pasta shells paired with salsa.

In a statement to the Verge, TikTok spokesperson Elena Saavedra claimed that creators will receive credit for their recipes and will also be featured “prominently throughout [the] promotion.”

“To be clear, this is a campaign to bring TikTok foods to fans, not a venture into the restaurant business,” she added.

This marks yet another major venture from VDC into the influencer-food sphere, who saw major success with YouTuber MrBeast’s ‘MrBeast Burger’ fast food chain in 2020.

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