'Gay Burger' restaurant chain goes viral, raises funds for LGBTQ homeless youth

What started out as a joke by YouTube influencer and prankster Elijah Daniel has since gone viral and is now a real thing - raising funds for LGBTQ homeless youth in Los Angeles.

“Gay Burger came along as a joke inspired by MrBeast Burger as a creative new way to raise money and help out small restaurants,” Daniel told Tubefilter. “It was originally a joke where I just yelled, ‘I WANT A GAY BURGER CHAIN’ out of nowhere.”

Katia Ameri – a tech entrepreneur and friend - turned Gay Burger into a bona fide business for Daniel’s birthday last month. The duo teamed with Silicon Valley-based startup house.ai.

Much like MrBeast, Gay Burger is a delivery-only, fast-food chain specializing in hamburgers. 

The virtual restaurant brand serves its meat in rainbow-colored wrappings and features humorous menu items, including Love Me Daddy (a “studly beef daddy patty” topped with American cheese, pickles, white onion, lettuce, and special house sauce “gayoli”), No More Milk Daddy (“vegan daddy patty,” sliced tomato, onion, pickles, lettuce), and I Like Chicks (fried chicken “daddy patty,” gayoli, mustard, lettuce, pickles).

The demand for the burgers has skyrocketed since Tuesday, February 9, when they were released. Those interested in trying out Gay Burger can order from ghost kitchens in Los Angeles, New York City, and San Fransisco via DoorDash, Postmates and GrubHub.

Daniel is donating all proceeds from Gay Burger to the Los Angeles LGBT Center to benefit youth experiencing homelessness. The donations will be handled by his nonprofit organization, Cult for Good.

In June 2018, Daniel became mayor of ‘Gay Hell,’ Michigan — a prank that similarly saw him make international headlines.

Related: Joe Hollendoner to become Los Angeles LGBT Center CEO in 2022