, calling the YouTuber’s lawsuit “meritless” and “ill-advised,” claiming that Donaldson had breached his agreement with the virtual restaurant company and recently attempted to negotiate a new deal “to serve his own monetary interests” and “give up more of the brand to him to terminate his “existing contractual obligations without cause.”
The new suit claims that Donaldson’s breaches of the parties’ agreements and interference with business dealings have damaged the reputation of MrBeast Burger and VDC, turned away customers and ruined relationships with suppliers and vendors, impacting the bottom lines of hundreds of restaurants around the world.
Later, it states, “Donaldson’s baseless and unlawful disparagement had the intended effect: MrBeast Burger’s reputation was materially damaged if not destroyed, customers abandoned the Brand, Plaintiffs’ hard-won relationships with vendors, partners, and suppliers were shattered, causing damages to Plaintiffs that, according to the evidence and Donaldson’s own statements regarding the value of MrBeast Burger, are in the nine-figure range.
The MrBeast Burger brand launched in December 2020 and expanded to 1,700 global locations by the end of 2022. Aside from one physical restaurant, the burger chain operates as a virtual brand run out of partner kitchens with orders available for delivery and pick up only via food-delivery services.