TikTok is teaming up with Virtual Dining Concepts (VDC) to launch TikTok Jobs Kitchens, a delivery-only service that will prepare some of the app's most popular recipes, as first reported by Bloomberg. TikTok and VDC will reportedly open 300 locations in the United States to begin, with plans to expand to 1,000 by the end of 2022.
TikTok Kitchens will operate out of existing restaurants, including Buca di Beppo and Bertucci's, which VDC co-founder Robert Earl owns. It's essentially a ghost kitchen service jobs, but unlike some competitors, VDC's kitchens don't appear to operate from satellite, trailer-converted kitchens in parking lots. According to the VDC's service description, TikTok Kitchens will use a restaurant's existing kitchen and employees while providing training, food packaging, and TikTok-sourced recipes.
Given how quickly viral content comes and goes on the platform, the menu will rotate quarterly to keep things interesting. According to Bloomberg, the menu will begin with the viral baked feta pasta — which was apparently the most-searched recipe on Google jobs in 2021 — air-fried corn strips known as corn ribs, crispy, cheese-covered pasta chips, and the smash burger. According to the press release, the creators who inspired the recipes on the menu will receive a portion of the proceeds.
“Creators will be receiving credit for dishes within the menu and will be featured prominently throughout [the] promotion,” said TikTok spokesperson Elena Saavedra in a statement to The Verge. “To be clear, this is a work from home jobs campaign to bring TikTok foods to fans, not a venture into the restaurant business.”
