How YouTuber MrBeast and his favorite local hot dog restaurant boost each other
- YouTuber MrBeast is better known as Jimmy Donaldson in Greenville, NC, where he grew up and still lives.
- He's been going to Sup Dogs, a local hot dog joint, since well before his online fame.
When YouTube magnate MrBeast is a regular at your business, it gets you a lot of free promotion.
Sup Dogs, a hot dog restaurant in Greenville, North Carolina, where the YouTuber lives, has seen a steady climb in revenue over the last five years that MrBeast has also grown his online persona.
MrBeast, better known as Jimmy Donaldson to locals who've grown up with him, has been eating regularly at Sup Dogs since he was a teenager. The owner, 40-year-old Bret Oliverio, has developed a chummy relationship with him over the years — and one that mutually benefits both of their brands.
Oliverio told Insider that since Donaldson has become hyper-famous, Sup Dogs has seen about a 25% boost in sales. While the rise can't be entirely attributed to Donaldson, the promotion he has provided has been valuable. For instance, in 2017, after the YouTuber posted a photo of himself in front of his restaurant, its Instagram account gained 6,000 new followers within seconds, Oliverio said.
When Donaldson comes in to dine, news around town spreads fast, and a flood of fans instantly shows up.
"If those 200 people spend $20 … that's $4,000," Oliverio said. Oliverio is thankful for Donaldson's patronage, and the trail of buzz and money that follows him around. In return, Oliverio has given the YouTuber special permissions in the restaurant.
"Whatever you want to do in our restaurant, at any time, I don't care how weird it is, how crazy it is, if you need to close us down, or I don't care how busy we are, 24 hours a day you have full access to our restaurant in any way you want to film," Oliverio recalled telling the YouTuber.
Oliverio has closed off parts of Sup Dogs for Donaldson and his friends to eat without fan interruptions. And on a few occasions Donaldson has shown up to film his YouTube videos — including one that made headlines three years ago when he tipped a Sup Dogs waitress $10,000.