Celebrities are reinventing the restaurant business with Instagram, ghost kitchens, and FOMO
Why we’re seeing the rise of the star- and digital-powered virtual restaurant, starring MrBeast, Mariah Carey, B.J. Novak, and more.
When MrBeast, a bearded, millennial YouTuber with a 60 million-strong fan base, decided to get into the restaurant business last year, he didn’t open a brick-and-mortar space lined with fan memorabilia or photos of himself engaged in the stunts that have made him famous—spending 50 hours buried underground or offering people $100,000 to quit their job. Instead, he launched an app, MrBeast Burger, that allows fans to order burgers, fries, and chocolate chip cookies by the bagful.