A TikTok account that has promised to “make vids @ Dave & Busters only” recently went viral for a “kimchi challenge” that eventually had the popular restaurant and entertainment chain responding.
TikTok creators John Cicco, Christopher Isaacson and Nate Krieger, known collectively as the “Dave and Buster Boys,” decided to ferment a jar of kimchi in a local Dave & Buster’s, as first documented in a video posted on Jan. 25.
Isaacson first prepared the kimchi at home and then hid it inside the restaurant, coming back to “burp” it daily until it was fully fermented. The challenge quickly gained popularity on TikTok, with nearly 2 million views on the second video of the series.
When the kimchi jar was removed from Dave & Buster’s on the third day, Isaacson started over with a new kimchi jar that had also begun fermenting on the same day as the first.
Dave & Buster’s eventually joined in on the fun and commented on the TikTok video.
“Sir please don’t burp your kimchi here,” the restaurant wrote. “What can we do to make this all go away?”
The group proposed that if management gifted them the Dave & Buster’s Whiskey Decanter set from the gift shop, they would stop fermenting kimchi at the restaurant.
Although the local outlet where the kimchi had been left to ferment declined the request, the Dave & Buster’s social media account suggested that the deal could still be made.
In one post, a member of the group announced that if the restaurant failed to give them the whiskey set soon, “the fermentation will continue” in all Dave & Buster’s restaurants across the country.
The account also poked fun at the video series by creating a fake “Now This” video documenting the saga.
The challenge has sparked both amusement and confusion from TikTok commenters, with some users questioning their kimchi preparation.
“Kimchi is life but why are you doing this 😭” a TikToker commented.
“This is not kimchi,” a user wrote. “You’re missing all the best ingredients. Not to mention way too little gochugaru.”
“How do I get to taste the Dave and Busters kimchi?” one curious user added.
“All your fans should brew kimchi at their local dave and busters in protest,” another commenter suggested.
“This is one of my favorite things I’ve gone out of my way to investigate on TikTok,” one user chimed in.
