By Mason Edwards, Staff Writer for the University Echo
The front of Mr Beast Burger. Saturday, February 13, 2022. Serretta Malaikham, Staff Photographer
Did you know that Mr. Beast, a popular Youtube content creator, has a Ghost Kitchen just one mile away from the University Center? Mr. Beast Burger offers a fun opportunity to try something new in Chattanooga.
While ghost kitchens do not typically open their physical locations to the public, Mr. Beast Burger of Chattanooga allows customers to dine-in. Apart from the outside wall art, a poster and menu, there’s few Mr. Beast branded decorations, and for a good reason.
Not everyone on campus is familiar with Mr. Beast; he’s an influencer and philanthropist with slightly over 90 million YouTube subscribers, making him the fifth most subscribed YouTuber in the world. Thanks to charitable stunts, like giving money to strangers, he attracts millions of followers across social media.
Across campus, students voiced different opinions about a Mr. Beast branded restaurant. For example, Junior Reese Cavitt viewed Mr. Beast as a positive figure, worth creating a brand around.
“[His videos are] funny, entertaining and he gives back to people,” Cavitt explained. “I think he’s a great icon, especially for kids that watch YouTube.”
Meanwhile, sophomore Cora Power, the daughter of a business owner, reflected that Mr. Beast could see more profits from merchandise.
“From a business major, I think he should focus on selling his merch, rather than a restaurant, but are people still going to go to it?” Cora Power rhetorically asked. “Absolutely, I’d go to it!”
While Mr. Beast’s reputation and popularity attract all kinds of customers, other students joked about high expectations for Mr. Beast’s restaurant.
“I’d assume if he has [millions of dollars], then he better have a good restaurant,” John Power, a UTC senior, teased.
A local catering company, Party Bites Kitchen, prepares the food out of their location in the Camp House on 806 E. 12th Street. Family owned and operated, they serve much more than a Chandler-Style Burger or Mr. Beast Fries.
In February of 2021, the owner of Party Bites Kitchen, Antonio Tate, adopted the Mr. Beast Burger menu after the success of the virtual brand. The Catering Coordinator, Stephanie Cheatham, elaborated.
“We are a catering kitchen primarily, but the beauty of having a ghost kitchen is [establishing] a restaurant [virtually] in an already established kitchen.”
Tate explained why they added Mr. Beast Burger’s menu. During the pandemic, ghost kitchens exploded in popularity, as restaurants closed dining rooms. Tate adopted the easy-to-make menu for a variety of reasons, including Mr. Beast’s online success and the need to offset the costs of operating his own kitchen.
Since 13, Tate has served and managed restaurants for more than twenty years, starting with his late father’s “Cajun Creole Restaurant, Gumbo-to-Go,” Tate said. From the beginning, he’s always involved his family in his business as one of his core values.
“My wife, and business partner, Onteaya Tate, were charged with the design of the cafe, all of the beverages, aesthetics, vibes, atmosphere and guests' experience,” Tate said.
His son, Kordell Mitchell, also works for the company. He’s cooking the Mr. Beast Burgers and Beast Fries, but he aspires to work his way up, learn more, and follow in his father’s footsteps.
“We started from nothing, and now we have our own space and our own kitchen,” Mitchell said. “My mom and dad have poured a lot of work into it, long nights.”
Mitchell wants to continue helping his father “in the background” since “being in the spotlight is just not for me,” he said.
Since their days working with Together Cafe “to help raise money for survivors of human trafficking,” Antionio Tate and Ontaeya Tate have focused on giving back to the community.
“We have done a couple charity events, and he’s working on a couple projects to be able to do that more in 2022,” Cheatham explained.
Giving back is a fitting aim, considering Mr. Beast’s philanthropy.
At the helm of an experienced family, Party Bites Kitchen has no worries regarding their future. They’re currently expanding into Charlotte, North Carolina.
With that said, it will remain to be seen whether ghost kitchens continue to be popular.
One thing is certain, however. As long as Party Bites Kitchen serves Mr. Beast Burgers, customers will continue to ask if they can see the man, the myth, the beast himself– Mr. Beast.
“People come here all the time and are like, ‘is Mr. Beast here, is Mr. Beast here?” Mitchell chuckled.
Antonio Tate graciously invites any UTC student, staff, or faculty to try their “delicious food” or “great atmosphere."
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