TikTok is about to launch a new service that will allow you to order and enjoy food from its videos. The social app is partnering with Virtual Dining Concepts to launch a delivery-only restaurant called "TikTok Kitchen" in the United States next year. The most popular food posts on TikTok will be used to create the menu at the restaurants. The two companies plan to open more than 1,000 restaurants by the end of next year, with around 300 locations that will start delivering in March.
The initial menu will include some of the top TikTok dishes. The baked Feta was the most searched for dish of the year after it gained immense popularity on TikTok. The menu at the locations will be changed quarterly with new dishes that have started to go viral. It is not known if TikTok will make some popular dishes like baked Feta pasta on a permanent basis.
The creators of TikTok will receive credit for dishes within the menu and will be featured prominently throughout the partnership.
The proceeds from TikTok Kitchen sales will be used to 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.
The company said that this was more of a campaign to get fans to eat TikTok food. The company probably sees this as a marketing effort, rather than a long-term business. TikTok didn't say how long this campaign will last, or how menu items will be refreshed.
Virtual Dining Concepts runs several delivery-only ghost restaurants and has partnerships with many notable individuals, including MrBeast, who runs his own virtual restaurant business, MrBeast Burger. Barstool Sports is a partnership with the company. Virtual Dining Concepts raised $20 million in Series A funding in October and plans to use it to fund additional technology, enhance corporate infrastructure and provide additional marketing and customer support.
TikTok is home to many popular food trends and is often reshared on other social media platforms. The short-form video app is looking to take advantage of its popularity to raise the profile of its brand and those of its creators who are fueling the food content on its app.
