TikTok is opening 300 ghost kitchens to deliver food trends made famous by creators

Shawn Knight

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In brief: Video-minded social networking service TikTok in a surprise move has announced a partnership with Virtual Dining Concepts (VDC) to bring some of the platform’s most popular food trends to life.

TikTok Kitchen will be a delivery-only brand. The service will operate out of existing restaurants as ghost kitchens, with VDC promising restaurateurs the ability to earn up to $500 or more in profit daily in exchange for use of their equipment and staff to cook for the brand.

The concept may sound strange, but it’s increasing in popularity. VDC, for example, is also behind MrBeast Burger, the online-only food ordering service created by Internet personality Jimmy Donaldson (MrBeast on YouTube) a year ago. The service is currently operating out of more than 1,000 ghost kitchens across North America and Europe.

VDC said the dishes will celebrate food trends made famous by TikTok creators, including smash burgers, corn ribs and baked feta pasta. Full details aren’t yet known, but VDC notes that TikTok Kitchen will have around 25 SKUs at any given time with an average prep time of eight to 10 minutes.

TikTok Kitchen aims to launch with 300 locations and hopes to have 1,000 locations opened by the end of 2022.

Do you think it’s a good idea for TikTok to venture out and test new business models like this, or should they simply stick to what they know – social media – and keep doing what’s worked thus far? As a foodie, I’m intrigued by the opportunity to try out new dishes, but I don’t know if I’m sold on the ghost kitchen concept. With that model, nobody’s reputation is really on the line, which could make it easier for restaurant partners to serve subpar food and not care too much about bad reviews.

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Sounds like an actual good idea (at the least in concept). But can they deliver without inconveniencing those who own the kitchens? Or, as mentioned, the food being of decent quality?

I'm interested in seeing what comes of it (though I doubt I'll have a ghost kitchen open close to me). But if they do, I'm always interested in trying new foods (at least once)...
 
So the same guys at Olive Garden who nuke my spaghetti carbonara will now be nuking my bacon cheeseburger with gouda cheese and truffle oil?...can't wait/s
 
Sounds like an actual good idea (at the least in concept). But can they deliver without inconveniencing those who own the kitchens? Or, as mentioned, the food being of decent quality?
I don't care how good the restaurant or chef is, it all tastes like sh!t by the time it gets to the customer. And good forbid if the recipient's microwave is on the fritz.

Of course in the case of Domino's, it's pretty much a garbage in, garbage out, proposition.
 
This is actually a great idea. I've seen a few home recipes on tiktok that would be amazing to get at a restaurant. Some of us aren't amazing cooks, so this will give our taste buds a chance. Nice work getting this deal going.
 
I am just surprised at the amount of folks who are too lazy to cook their own food and keep up this trend.
Hey, don't don't confuse me with those other lazy lumps. I'm not too lazy to toaster oven my own frozen pizza, or make my own ham and Cheese sandwiches.
 
Just add Ketchup to Tide pods and voila, an amazing creation brought to you by the great minds of the TikTok crowd and their sheep!!

As if we need further proof this effing generation is doomed.
 
Just add Ketchup to Tide pods and voila, an amazing creation brought to you by the great minds of the TikTok crowd and their sheep!!

As if we need further proof this effing generation is doomed.
You're brootal.🤣 But, you did forget to tell people to wash it down with bleach as a chaser.
 
Anything coming out of that abject disgusting schizohole network created to dull and dumb down the western world and even promote new, interesting ways to kill or harm yourself is nothing but poison, in this case global food poisoning pandemic.just what the world needs now.
 
You know, it's things like this that really show TT's' redeeming qualities. It's just a shame they can't control their content a little better and stop all these competitive challenges that result in destruction and dangerous stunts. I've often thought that social media sites should band together and create a shared database that collects user names, IP's, etc. on the "bad boys" and ban them across the internet. Now that would be an effective treatment of trouble makers and help to stop so much of the BS.
 
I've often thought that social media sites should band together and create a shared database that collects user names, IP's, etc. on the "bad boys" and ban them across the internet.
Google, Facebook, and Twitter are already on it.

Not to mention China.
 
It's just a shame they can't control their content a little better and stop all these competitive challenges that result in destruction and dangerous stunts.
You know, it's probably just a rumor, but I've heard Charles Darwin is on TicTok's board of directors. At the very least he's there in spirit,

TikTok is a microcosm of our larger society as a whole. It's a behavioral pattern that has always persisted.

Sociopaths have always led the gullible, needy, and stupid. Hell, 75 million of them voted for a raging psychopath in the last US presidential election. :rolleyes:
 
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I didn't read the article but am I the only one that thinks all the food pictured on this page looks awful? I can sort of understand that many people don't cook anymore but why do chefs (who presumably can cook) have to produce the mess that TikTok (whatever that is) now passes as food?
 
Like every other food delivery, the guy in the car wants to taste this amazing food too. Better order 2 of everything if you live alone.
 
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