David Dobrik's L.A. pizza restaurant opening draws massive weekend crowds despite influencer’s controversial past

WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — The Granada family piled into their SUV and drove nearly 200 miles — about four hours — from Fresno to Los Angeles on Friday afternoon to set up camp on Sunset Boulevard.

YouTuber David Dobrik’s restaurant, Doughbrik’s, would open its doors at 1 p.m. Saturday. The family knew its early arrival would guarantee them a prime spot in line, a slice of pizza and most important: a Dobrik sighting.

“He’s just one of those YouTubers that you watch all the time, like ‘The Office’ and all those other shows you binge,” Ocean Granada, 21, said of the influencer. “And so it was just a chance to finally meet him.”

Dobrik, 26, has gradually stepped away from YouTube in recent years. The lull in content follows a string of controversies entangling Dobrik since he filed for the Doughbrik’s trademark in 2020.

The creator, who has more than 27 million YouTube subscribers across three channels, has barely posted on the platform this year (his most recent video was uploaded in March). His podcast, with co-host and fellow creator Jason Nash, seems to be on hiatus as of April. Dobrik remains most active on TikTok, where he has 26.3 million followers.

Dozens of people flocked around the entrance to the restaurant on Saturday, where Dobrik was posing for photos with fans who braved the line.

“We were all afraid of the line getting too long, like how it is now, and we came all this way,” said Iona Granada, 13. “We wouldn’t want to miss out on this opportunity.”

Situated next to the influencer hotspot Saddle Ranch, Doughbrik's is a partnership between Dobrik, fellow creator Ilya Fedorovich and the founders of the Los Angeles-based restaurant chain Lemonade. In homage to Dobrik and Fedorovich's Chicago roots, Doughbrik's Instagram account promotes the restaurant as the place to get the "fluffiest, cheesiest and doughyest slice of pizza in town."

"We would go out all the time at Saddle Ranch," Dobrik said in an interview with NBC’s Paul Costabile. "Now we're open here ... until 3 a.m. Other places close, this will be the spot for our friends to come and eat and hang out."

Dobrik started on Vine, rose to stardom on YouTube and launched a podcast in 2020. Dobrik and his ensemble of collaborators — known as the Vlog Squad — once dominated YouTube with weekly vlogs, prank videos and luxury giveaways.

Over the past two years, Dobrik has been involved in several scandals, including a sexual assault allegation against one of his former collaborators, which allegedly took place while the Vlog Squad filmed a video about group sex, according to an investigation first reported by Insider. After losing a number of sponsorships, stepping down from his startup Dispo and posting two poorly received apology videos, Dobrik has distanced himself from the sexual assault allegation.

“I couldn’t see how they were connected to me," Dobrik told Rolling Stone in a 2021 interview.

An attempt to reach Dobrik through his manager and representative was unsuccessful.

Dobrik is also facing a $10 million lawsuit from ex-Vlog Squad member Jeff Wittek, who said he "nearly died" from injuries sustained while filming a stunt video in 2020, and has undergone multiple surgeries since. The lawsuit reportedly accuses Dobrik, who operated the machinery that Wittek was attached to when he was injured, of “general negligence and intentional tort."

Dobrik addressed the incident in March on his podcast, during which he described it as an "accident." "He got hurt because I was driving...any chance I would get I would take that back," he said in the episode. "That'll be the biggest regret of my entire life." In September, TMZ reported that Dobrik "is asking the judge to dismiss the complaint and award nothing to Jeff."

Wittek did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

While many lined up to see Dobrik in person, the restaurant's opening also prompted some backlash.

Some irate drivers rolled down their windows to yell at pedestrians, who had to walk on the street because the line filled the entire sidewalk. Ocean Granada said that while he was waiting in line, he heard someone in a passing car yell “rapist” in the direction of the pizzeria.

The pizza spot also received a handful of negative Yelp reviews, some of which mention the sexual assault allegation and pending lawsuit. Some photos posted to Twitter and Reddit depict what appears to be the pizzeria vandalized with the word “rapist” ahead of its opening. NBC News could not independently verify the photos.

Iona Granada said that she still enjoys Dobrik's content despite the backlash.

"I just thought, 'OK, he's getting canceled,' but I'm not gonna be hating on him," she said. "I'm still a fan because I really do like to watch his videos."

Online, other fans shared similar thoughts. “i think is safe to say that the cancel culture is mostly online bc there were SO many people to support him,” wrote one Reddit user, who posted a selfie with Dobrik in a r/DavidDobrik subreddit.

By the time Doughbrik’s sold its inaugural slice, the line of eager customers spilled over multiple city blocks, snaking into the Hollywood Hills and disrupting traffic.

Some in the crowd, like aspiring YouTuber Janny Hailemari, hoped to get a glimpse of Dobrik without having to wait in line. Hailemari, 22, said that he wouldn't be able to stand for that long without back pain but wanted to get footage of Dobrik for his vlog.

"He's a big YouTuber and I'm doing a vlog too," Hailemari said. "I learned a lot from him. It will be a good experience to take a video with him."

Despite not being a Vlog Squad fan, Annette Vasquez, 22, drove an hour from San Bernardino, almost 70 miles away, because she "wasn't going to do anything else" that day. After four hours of waiting, she was halfway through the line.

"I've been seeing it a lot on social media," Vasquez said. "So it's kind of like one of those FOMO things and fear of missing out. I was just curious."

At least one person in the crowd actually came for the pizza.

Matin Madi, 19, held a spot for his friends at the very end of the line while they looked for parking. Madi also said that he had had "nothing else to do" and agreed to join his friends, who were huge fans, since he lived in nearby Hollywood.

"Actually, I'm more here for the pizza. I love pizza. So I'm trying to try that," Madi said. "But my friend, she's like a fan girl, and my other buddy really likes him [Dobrik]. So hopefully they get to meet him and hopefully I get to have some pizza."

By the end of the day on Saturday, Dobrik — who also did a ceremonious ribbon cutting outside the restaurant — posted a thank you to fans on his Instagram story.

"Could not imagine a better first day!!" he wrote with a selfie of himself in Doughbrik’s merch. The restaurant, he wrote, "sold out of pizza" its opening day.