Do you want to eat where your favorite content creators eat? For the past few years, French YouTubers have no longer been content with just filming their lives: they are opening restaurants, launching dark kitchens, and building real street food empires. From Pepe Chicken to La Kazdalerie, by way of Mealy and Burgouzz, the trend is only accelerating. In this article, we explain why they are all launching into food, who the best of the bunch are, and above all, where to order or book.
Why are YouTubers getting into the restaurant business?
A closer connection with their community
After years of sharing their daily lives behind a screen, opening a restaurant represents for many YouTubers the first real physical meeting with their community. The IRL (In Real Life) experience becomes the natural extension of the digital relationship. When Michou opened Mealy in Amiens in June 2024, hundreds of fans queued for hours. Zack Nani was personally present during the Lyon inauguration of La Kazdalerie to share this moment with his city. The restaurant becomes a rallying point, almost a place of pilgrimage for followers.
Street food, a growing market for content creators
Fast food in France represents more than 50000 outlets according to Food Service Vision, a massive, accessible market that is perfectly aligned with the image of YouTubers. The street food format matches their target audience: 14-25 year olds who want to eat well, quickly, for less than €15. It’s fun, it’s photogenic, it’s shareable. Where Michelin-starred chefs would have bet on gastronomy, content creators choose burgers and fried chicken, and it’s a huge hit.
Diversification and new revenue streams
The YouTube revenues are by nature volatile: an algorithm change, a demonetization, and the figure collapses. Opening a restaurant means building a tangible business that runs independently of the number of views. Amixem now combines a clothing brand (SpaceFox) and a dark kitchen (Starsmash) and continues to post videos. Mister V sold 2 million Delamama pizzas in supermarkets in less than 6 months. The logic is simple: diversify, build a commercial empire, and no longer depend solely on a single platform.
The best YouTuber restaurants in 2026
| Year | YouTuber | Restaurant | Model | Concept |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | IbraTV Ibrahim Tsetchoev |
Black & White Burger ~32 locations FR + BE |
🏠 Physical | Black or white bun burgers |
| 2021 | FastGoodCuisine Charles Gilles-Compagnon |
Pepe Chicken +70 locations |
📦 Dark kitchen | American fried chicken |
| 2022 | Mister V Yvick Letexier |
La Pizza Delamama 2M pizzas sold in 6 months |
🛒 Mass retail | Frozen pizzas in supermarkets |
| 2022 | Mohamed Henni ~2M followers |
Klüb Kebab Paris, Marseille, Villeurbanne |
📦 Dark kitchen | Halal kebab, marinated chicken with garlic sauce |
| 2023 | Valouzz +3M followers |
Burgouzz Rennes → Paris → expansion |
🏠 Physical | Premium smash burgers |
| 2024 | Zack Nani Streamer / YouTuber |
La Kazdalerie 5 locations: Paris, Bordeaux, Levallois, Lyon, Échirolles |
🏠 Physical | North African msemen sandwiches |
| 2024 | Amixem Maxime Chabroud — 9M followers |
Starsmash ~50 French cities |
📦 Dark kitchen | Space-themed smash burgers |
| 2024 | Michou Charles Michoski — ~10M followers |
Mealy Amiens (2024) → Le Mans (2025) |
🔀 Franchise | World flavor burgers |
| 2024 | Ophenya Lifestyle influencer |
B(hug)er Paris 10th |
🏠 Physical | Gourmet burgers |
| 2024 | Louis-san & Marie Palot Gaming / culture creators |
Maru Brick-and-mortar restaurant |
🏠 Physical | Japanese cuisine |
| 2025 | Michou Mealy extension |
Mealy — Le Mans Opening Nov. 2025 |
🔀 Franchise | World flavor burgers |
Pepe Chicken (FastGoodCuisine): the fried chicken pioneer
Launched in 2021 by Charles from FastGoodCuisine in partnership with Taster, Pepe Chicken is the absolute reference of the dark kitchen made on YouTube. Specializing in American-style fried chicken, the concept pays tribute to Charles’s “pépé”, a simple but effective storytelling that immediately resonated with followers. Today, the brand has more than 70 points of sale across France, opening at a rate of about one per week. Available on UberEats and Deliveroo, it is the most established French dark kitchen on the market.
Black & White Burger (IbraTV): the pioneer with 32 locations
Before everyone else, there was IbraTV. In 2018, Ibrahim Tsetchoev launched Black & White Burger, physical restaurants offering hamburgers served in black or white buns, thus becoming the first French influencer to open a real restaurant chain. Six years later, the results are impressive: around thirty establishments between France and Belgium, about 200 employees, and a turnover exceeding 12 million euros in 2021. The chain was even the first in Belgium to accept cryptocurrency payment.
Mealy (Michou): the franchise restaurant that is booming
Michou did things in a big way. On June 8, 2024, he opened the first Mealy fast-food restaurant in Amiens, featuring burgers with world flavors inspired by his travels, and hundreds of people gathered outside the doors from day one. The police had to intervene to manage the crowds. The concept, developed with his managers and entrepreneur Alexandre Houpert, is designed to be franchised. A second Mealy opens in Le Mans in November 2025. The model is clear: Michou brings his fame, the franchisee manages the operations.
Burgouzz (Valouzz): a champion’s smash burgers
Valouzz didn’t do things by halves. In April 2023, he tested his concept in Rennes with a first restaurant, then opened three Paris locations in September. To guarantee quality, he partnered with a French burger champion to create the recipes. On the menu: Classic Burgouzz, Karaage Burgouzz, Truffle Burgouzz, and a Green Burgouzz for vegetarians. Prices are regularly criticized, but customer loyalty remains strong. The restaurants are equipped with ordering kiosks and a real, polished visual identity.
La Kazdalerie (Zack Nani): North African street food franchise
It is the most original concept on the scene. In February 2024, Zack Nani opened La Kazdalerie in the 10th arrondissement of Paris, serving sandwiches made from msemens, those North African pancakes that he reinvents in a savory burrito-style version. The bet paid off: Bordeaux in June, Levallois in July, Lyon in August, Échirolles in 2025. Five locations in less than a year and a half, an interest-free franchise (religious compliance), and a concept that brings together Moroccans, Algerians, and Tunisiens around a universal product.
Starsmash (Amixem): burgers from outer space
On May 14, 2024, Amixem unveiled Starsmash in a video that quickly amassed millions of views. The dark kitchen, available in around 50 French cities via UberEats and Deliveroo, extends his creative universe centered on the space theme. His clothing brand SpaceFox already uses the same codes. The burgers are named after stars: Antarès, Altaïr, etc. Starsmash’s Instagram account gathered 26000 followers in just a few weeks. Partnership with Taster, minimal investment, maximum impact.
Dark kitchen vs physical restaurant: which model do YouTubers choose?
The advantages of dark kitchens for creators
A dark kitchen is a restaurant without a dining room, accessible only via delivery platforms. For a YouTuber, it’s the ideal model: no commercial rent, no front-of-house team to manage, and margins far superior to a classic restaurant. With Taster as a logistics partner, brands like Pepe Chicken or Starsmash have been able to establish themselves in dozens of cities in just a few months. The YouTuber brings their community, the platform manages production. Simple, scalable, profitable.
Learn more about the different creators: https://agencemidnight.fr/differents-types-dinfluenceurs/
The physical restaurant: a place to meet fans
But the physical restaurant has an advantage that the dark kitchen cannot replicate: the thrill of the real-life encounter. When Michou or Zack Nani inaugurate a new restaurant, their fans turn out in droves, film, and share. This organic content, hundreds of TikToks and Reels shot by the customers themselves, represents visibility that is impossible to buy. The physical restaurant becomes a marketing tool in its own right, a permanent meet & greet venue, and a lever for future franchises.
The innovative concepts behind the success of these establishments
The integration of social media into the customer experience
These restaurants are designed to be filmed. Recognizable decor, brand colors, hashtags integrated into the signage—everything is done to get the customer to pull out their phone. Michou announces his openings on his social media and generates immediate foot traffic. La Kazdalerie encourages its customers to share their msemens by tagging the brand. The customer becomes a content creator, and the content created in turn fuels the restaurant’s reputation. A perfectly mastered virtuous circle.
Menus co-created with the community
At Pepe Chicken, Charles regularly solicits feedback from his followers to develop the menu. Zack Nani has always presented La Kazdalerie as a community project: the recipes, the new cities, the future concepts, everything is discussed with the community. This co-creation generates a sense of co-ownership among followers, who feel like active participants in the project rather than just customers. The result: naturally stronger engagement and long-term loyalty.
A strong and Instagrammable visual identity
Starsmash uses the space codes of SpaceFox. Black & White Burger plays on the radical contrast of its two colors. La Kazdalerie mixes modernity and North African codes with a polished artistic direction. In any case, the visual identity is designed to be immediately recognizable in photos. This is not a detail: a visually strong restaurant generates continuous organic content, strengthens the YouTuber’s personal brand, and justifies the expansion into other merchandise.
How to order or book in these popular restaurants?
Dark kitchens: order in a few clicks
For Pepe Chicken, Starsmash, or Klüb Kebab, there’s no need to book: everything is ordered on UberEats or Deliveroo. Expect about 20 to 30 minutes for delivery depending on your city. Before ordering, check that the brand is available in your area, as some dark kitchens do not yet cover all cities. For fans, it’s the perfect option: watch a video of your favorite YouTuber and order from their restaurant right after.
Physical restaurants: tips to avoid the crowds
For Mealy, Burgouzz, or La Kazdalerie, a few basic rules apply. Absolutely avoid the days following an announcement video or an inauguration, as the crowds are uncontrollable. Opt for lunch on weekdays, when the wait is two to three times shorter than on a weekend evening. Follow the brands’ Instagram and TikTok accounts: they often report peak times in real time. And if you really want to avoid the crowds, dark kitchens always remain an excellent alternative.
The future of YouTuber restaurants: trends 2025-2026
The trend is not going to slow down. Mealy is aiming for new franchises in 2026, while La Kazdalerie aimed to reach 20 points of sale before the end of last year. The dark kitchen model continues to export easily. Black & White Burger is already in Belgium, and nothing is stopping these brands from establishing themselves in other French-speaking countries. We are also waiting for the first real collaborations between YouTubers for joint concepts. The next logical step? Higher-quality restaurants, with more elaborate menus, to address recurring criticisms regarding prices and quality. The creator economy has entered the restaurant industry. It is not done shaking it up.