TikTok is working on a new service that will turn its viral culinary videos into meals to order and eat. Virtual Dining Concepts, a company specializing in food delivery, is collaborating with the famous app to open delivery-only restaurants under the "TikTok Kitchen" brand in the USA starting next March. next year, as first reported by Bloomberg.
Secondo Bloomberg, the restaurant menu will be set up based on the most popular foods within the app. Tiktok and its partner company plan to launch approximately 300 TikTok Kitchen locations in the initial phase, with plans to open more than 1.000 restaurants by the end of next year.
TikTok Kitchen, welcome to the era of viral food
The new project will launch in 2021 with a limited menu that includes TikTok's most viral dishes like baked feta pasta, a smash burger, and corn ribs and chips. Baked feta, in particular, has exploded in popularity in 2021, according to Google, becoming the most searched meal of the year. In the future, the menu of Tiktok Kitchen venues will be changed every 3 months (still providing a "fixed" section) based on changes in user preferences.
A portion of the proceeds from TikTok Kitchen sales will support creators who create dishes that go viral, “in line with our mission to inspire creativity and bring joy to its users,” the company says.
TikTok Kitchen: experiment or "invasion"?
Is TikTok Kitchen serious? Who can say. Meanwhile, its partner, Virtual Dining Concepts, is a startup that focuses entirely on ghost kitchens. In October it raised 20 million dollars in funding to improve its technological infrastructure, and has several collaborations under its belt for as many "instant restaurants" branded with the names of various US stars (from Mariah Carey to the rapper MrBeast).
As for the ByteDance app, I don't know if this activity is perceived solely as a marketing effort or if TikTok Kitchen has invasion plans, but the message is explosive. A future of convergence between real-time data (which monitors the pulse of "demand") and personalized offers could allow what we now simply call "social apps" to dethrone giants in various sectors.
The Chinese social network is the "cradle" of many food trends and a large number of viral recipes frequently republished on other social networks. TikTok Kitchen suggests that the company will capitalize on its popularity: first to promote the reputation of its brand, and then who knows.
