MrBeast Burger: Raw meat complaints spark outrage
Raw meat photos from MrBeast Burger orders continue to surface on social feeds in 2026, years after the virtual chain first launched. The pattern of undercooked patties, missing items, and unbranded packaging has produced a steady drumbeat of complaints that now sit at the center of a lawsuit between MrBeast’s company and its former partner.
Launch and rapid expansion
MrBeast Burger debuted in November 2020 as a delivery-only brand through Virtual Dining Concepts. The partnership pushed the chain into more than a thousand ghost kitchens within two years, often inside existing restaurants that already handled multiple virtual brands.
MrBeast later stated he received no royalties and had little control once orders left his oversight. The same lack of central commissaries that enabled fast growth also left food safety standards in the hands of third-party kitchens.
By October 2026 the active U.S. footprint had shrunk to roughly two hundred forty-five locations across thirty-nine states after several partners, including Red Robin, exited the program.
Early customer reports
Complaints about raw or pink-centered burgers began appearing within weeks of the first deliveries. Reddit threads from 2021 documented chicken sandwiches that looked visibly uncooked and beef patties described as “mostly raw.”
Photos often showed meals arriving in plain bags from unrelated chains, sometimes labeled only as a local Ruby Tuesday or 7-Eleven. Delivery apps began suppressing the brand in search rankings once average ratings fell below two stars at more than half of locations.
MrBeast publicly acknowledged the quality gap on X in 2023, noting it was impossible to guarantee consistency when orders came from outside kitchens.
Complaints resurface in 2025
Screen shots of still-pink burgers posted in late 2025 revived the earlier conversation. Trustpilot and Yelp entries repeated familiar language: “cold fries,” “raw in the middle,” and “worst burger I ever had.”
One widely shared clip showed a customer slicing into a patty that released red liquid on contact. The post gathered thousands of likes and prompted renewed questions about oversight inside ghost kitchens.
MrBeast’s own social channels stayed quiet while the new wave of images circulated, leaving fans to debate whether the brand would ever regain trust.
Legal filings and internal messages
Beast Investments sued Virtual Dining Concepts in July 2023, alleging breach of contract and reputational damage tied directly to raw meat complaints. The complaint included dozens of customer photos and messages showing kitchen staff aware of undercooked orders.
Virtual Dining Concepts countersued for roughly one hundred million dollars, claiming interference and breach on MrBeast’s side. Court documents released in early 2026 revealed text exchanges in which MrBeast expressed a desire to “let it slowly die.”
A judge at the January 2026 hearing called the customer evidence “very compelling” but left open the question of long-term brand harm, keeping the case active into the fall.
Revenue and partner exits
Early revenue reportedly topped one hundred million dollars before declining sharply, with some estimates placing 2023 sales near forty-five million. Mystery-shopper audits showed wrong-order rates twice the industry target.
Partner restaurants began dropping the virtual brand once negative reviews threatened their core operations. Red Robin’s exit in 2025 reduced the national footprint and removed dozens of kitchens from the network.
MrBeast shifted focus to Feastables and other projects, leaving the burger operation to contract without new marketing pushes.
Media coverage and memes
Initial coverage in 2023 framed the story as another creator-brand misstep. By 2026 outlets revisited the saga with updated location counts and fresh complaint threads, treating it as a cautionary tale about ghost kitchens.
Memes comparing the raw patties to “MrBeast’s rarest drop” circulated on TikTok and X, often paired with the original marketing videos promising generous portions and quality ingredients.
The contrast between polished YouTube thumbnails and delivered meals became a recurring punchline in comment sections across platforms.
Regulatory and industry context
Health departments in several states logged complaints about undercooked meat linked to MrBeast Burger orders, though no large-scale outbreaks were confirmed. The incidents fit a broader pattern of food-safety concerns inside virtual restaurants that share kitchens with multiple brands.
Industry analysts note that ghost-kitchen models can cut overhead but also remove direct accountability for training and equipment standards. Delivery platforms have tightened rating thresholds in response, yet enforcement remains uneven.
MrBeast Burger’s contraction illustrates how quickly consumer backlash can force partners to exit when quality controls are absent.
Consumer sentiment today
Recent Yelp and Reddit threads show a split between longtime fans who still defend the brand and newer users who cite the lawsuit documents as reason enough to avoid ordering. Some customers report improved experiences at remaining locations, while others continue posting pink-centered photos.
Delivery-app algorithms now bury the brand behind higher-rated competitors, limiting visibility even where kitchens remain active. Refunds and credits have become standard responses to complaints, but they do little to restore overall confidence.
The gap between MrBeast’s charitable image and the delivered product continues to fuel discussion whenever new images surface.
Future of the brand
With litigation ongoing and active locations down more than eighty percent from peak, MrBeast Burger faces an uncertain path. Any settlement or operational overhaul would need to address the core issue of consistent cooking standards across dispersed kitchens.
MrBeast has signaled through statements and actions that his attention lies elsewhere, leaving Virtual Dining Concepts to manage the remaining footprint. Whether the brand can rebuild trust or simply fades further depends on outcomes still pending in court and in customer kitchens.
