NJ mall gets mobbed during grand opening of YouTube star’s burger joint
EAST RUTHERFORD — The American Dream mega mall never looked so packed.
A crowd of close to 10,000 people descended on the troubled retail and entertainment complex on Sunday for the grand opening of the first-ever MrBeast Burger.
If you don't know who MrBeast is, you're probably not one of the YouTube superstar's 104 million subscribers (or the parent of one.)
The 24-year-old is one of the highest-paid YouTube creators (if not the No. 1). He parlayed his viral success into a fast-food enterprise.
Before the opening of the restaurant at American Dream, MrBeast Burger was a "virtual restaurant," meaning the brand was licensed to independent restaurants across the country that fulfilled orders for many items offered on the MrBeast Burger app, which launched in 2020.
Clearly there was an appetite for more.
MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, shared video of his appearance at the mall this Labor Day weekend, with nearly 10,000 shouting customers already waiting.
"I literally work in my studio all day and barely ever leave, so seeing something like this is mind blowing," he said on Twitter. "Our grand opening broke the world record for most burgers sold in a day by a single restaurant lol."
Fans — some of whom had camped out overnight — shared videos of Donaldson giving high-fives, fist bumps and signing autographs. Other social media personalities also showed up.
What is MrBeast Burger?
The restaurant specializes in "smashed burgers," made from balls of ground beef smashed onto the grill to promote browning.
The menu includes vegan Impossible Burgers, crispy chicken sandwiches and MrBeast's five-ingredient chocolate bars from Feastables.
Why is MrBeast so famous?
So no, MrBeast is not a food channel. His content is more typical of YouTube with videos featuring challenges and stunts and competitions to win money.
His most popular videos include creating a real-life version of Netflix's "Squid Game" (minus the death, of course); spending 50 hours in a coffin; and going through the same drive-thru a thousand times.
He's also known for donating to and raising money for charitable purposes.
Visiting MrBeast Burger in NJ
MrBeast Burger is located on Court A, Level 3 of the American Dream mall.
Hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Here is the MrBeast Burgers menu.
Every NJ pizza joint Barstool's Dave Portnoy has reviewed
Sergio Bichao is the digital managing editor for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at sergio.bichao@townsquaremedia.com
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