Creators On The Rise: Maddie Goetz Hacks Her Way To Great Eats—And Onto Dunkin’ Donuts’ Menu

By 08/25/2021
Creators On The Rise: Maddie Goetz Hacks Her Way To Great Eats—And Onto Dunkin’ Donuts’ Menu

Welcome to Creators on the Rise, where—in partnership with global creator company Jellysmack—we find and profile breakout creators who are in the midst of extraordinary growth. 


Maddie Goetz is on a mission.

All her life, she’s had–as she puts it—a “weird and amusing” way of eating food. Put a dish, any dish, in front of her, and she’ll figure out how to maximize its deliciousness.

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To Goetz, there’s no point in ordering a burger and fries unless you’re going to put your fries on your burger. And why get a whole side of sauce if you’re not going to carefully carve a tunnel in your corn dog or chicken strip or bagel bite and pour it in, letting that ranch-y or barbeque-y or teriyaki-y goodness seep all the way through?

These hacks (and many, many more) were just a regular part of Goetz’s everyday eats–not something she thought would particularly interest other people.

But she was wrong.

@maddiegoetzzzzzThat did not go as planned. @official_ivoryella♬ original sound – Maddie Goetz

Goetz got on the TikTok train during COVID lockdowns in mid-2020. She’d just come home from college, and noticed most of her high school friends were using the platform to document life in quarantine. Goetz decided she would do the same…and that documentation naturally included her unique mealtime rituals.

To her surprise, other people were interested. And not only people: in July 2020, she posted a hack using a Dunkin’ Donuts’ everything bagel smothered in cream cheese, with a filling of hash brown bites and the brand’s Snackin’ Bacon strips. The clip caught Dunkin’s attention, and in December 2020, “Maddie’s Hack” officially went on the chain’s menu nationwide. (Her video also inspired a contest where Dunkin’ called for other people to send in their hacks for a shot at menu stardom.)

Since then, Goetz’s TikTok presence has jumped to 1.3 million followers, and collectively, her TikTok content has generated more than 10 million views in the last 28 days, and more than 25 million views in the last two months. Her average video now generates 500,000 views, according to her team at The Network Effect.

@maddiegoetzzzzzU NEED TO TRY THIS♬ original sound – Maddie Goetz

As Goetz’s TikTok presence grows, she’s expanded to other platforms, including Snapchat, where she’s gotten 5.7 million views and 12,000 new followers in the last 28 days, and to YouTube Shorts, where her fledgling channel has 2.55K subscribers.

Her visibility has also led to deals with major food brands like Buffalo Wild Wings, Pizza Hut, Popeyes, and Chipotle.

Goetz is still in college, and says she one day plans to blend her love of food with her degree in Chinese studies and her experience in business to create a full-time content career.

For now, though, she’ll be on TikTok, making good food great with her mouthwatering hacks.

Check out our chat with her below.

Tubefilter: Tell us a little about you! Where are you from? What did you get up to before joining TikTok?

Maddie Goetz: Hey! My name is Maddie Goetz! When anyone asks me where I am from, I always say I rep CHICAGO through and through. I am originally from a small Chicago suburb, and now live in downtown Chicago as a student at DePaul University (where I am studying Chinese studies, Spanish language, philosophy, and history). I have two wonderful parents and two wild older brothers, all of whom you may recognize from starring in many of my videos. Before TikTok, I was working at a popular Chicago bakery.

Tubefilter: When and why did you join TikTok? Did you join kind of knowing the sort of content you wanted to make, or did you discover your niche along the way?

MG: I first joined TikTok in early 2020. However, when I returned home from college that year was when I really started frequently posting videos. I never really planned to become a “TikToker,” per se. Since all of my high school friends were back in my hometown because of the pandemic, we all started posting TikToks as a sort of a fun pass-the-time thing while we were all stuck at home. To my surprise, my food videos started to get a lot of attention. That was when I discovered that sharing my weird and amusing food habits could be a “thing.”

Tubefilter: You are possibly the most inventive foodie we have ever encountered. What made you fall in love with food? When did you get into the “hack” side of eats?

MG: Thanks! I have been in love with food for as long as I can remember. My adoration for food is what sparked my desire to create “food hacks.” My friends and family have always made fun of me for the way that I pull, poke, and pick at my food in order to find the best way to eat every meal.

@maddiegoetzzzzzThis was the best thing to ever enter me♬ original sound – Maddie Goetz

Tubefilter: Your breakfast sandwich hack caught Dunkin’ Donuts’ eye and was featured on their menu nationwide. Tell us about that experience! How did your sandwich get noticed by Dunkin’? Was it surreal to see your creation on the official menu?

MG: The experience was absolutely incredible! Who would’ve thought that putting hash browns and bacon bites into a bagel would get you recognized by THE Dunkin’ Donuts?! When Dunkin’ first reached out to me, I was completely shocked and honored. To walk into a franchise as iconic as Dunkin’ Donuts and see MY name and MY hack on the menu was completely surreal.

Tubefilter: Your viewership on TikTok has seen some major growth lately. Is there any one video that really popped off and drew in a big audience? Or has your growth built up across numerous videos?

MG: My growth has definitely been built up across numerous video over the last year or so. What has been super cool has been the passion that the TikTok community not only has for food, but for some of the hacks! So many taste-tests! So many opinions in the comments! It is awesome! I’ve also seen a lot of success with comedic videos featuring my dad.

Tubefilter: Where do you get ideas for your hacks? How does the process work? Do you taste test potential hacks? Do you ever get inspired by ideas from your followers?

MG: Initially, all of my hacks just came from my own weird eating habits. Then there are some that will just pop in my brain at the grocery store or when I am looking at a menu. I also look to my friends, family, and my team at The Network Effect for ideas/concepts.

Tubefilter: How has your personal brand grown over the past few months? Have you expanded your content to platforms other than TikTok? What brands have you worked with? Have you gotten any cool sponsorships/other opportunities thanks to your presence on TikTok?

MG: I have definitely diversified and expanded my shortform content strategy to Instagram Reels, Snapchat Stories & Spotlight, and YouTube Shorts. I love showing all sides of myself through my Chicago/foodie/lifestyle content.

Over the last year, I have worked with some absolutely amazing brands including Buffalo Wild Wings, JCPenney, Pizza Hut, Popeyes, Chipotle, and many others. I have also gotten some amazing opportunities thanks to my presence on TikTok, including being featured on Chicago’s very own Windy City Live.

Tubefilter: Due to your recent spike in engagement, do you have any new plans or goals for your content career? Do you think content will be a full-time pursuit for you long-term?

MG: I absolutely love what I am doing! Food and making people smile! Content creation has definitely turned into a major focus in my life. I now share my time between producing content (and of course finishing school). It would be an absolute dream to make this a full-time career.

@maddiegoetzzzzzKOREAN CORN DOG♬ original sound – Maddie Goetz

Tubefilter: What’s your favorite part of making content as a whole?

MG: My favorite part of producing content is being able to share my love for food with the world. I LOVE that my “job” consists of eating my favorite meals. An unexpected honor that has come from this is that I will have many who struggle with eating reach out and tell me that watching me eat in my crazy, gross, excited, or shameless way has helped them love themselves and love food.

Tubefilter: What’s next in the immediate future for you and your channel? Where do you see yourself in five years?

MG: It is awesome to have my own specific niche, and I am excited to see where this journey takes me. I have so many ideas and avenues that I want to explore across food. I am also learning so much in college about Chinese culture and business. As I continue to create content and build audience and attention (and learn the language), I am so excited to one day visit China and merge all of these worlds together.


Jellysmack is the global creator company that detects and develops the world’s most talented video creators. The company’s proprietary video optimization technology and data drive social audience growth, unlocking new revenue streams and amplifying monetization.

Currently home to over 150 influential Creators including PewDiePie, MrBeastBrad Mondo, and Bailey Sarian, Jellysmack optimizes, operates, and distributes creator-made video content to Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, Twitter, and YouTube. Jellysmack-managed content boasts 10 billion global monthly video views and a cross-platform reach of 125 million unique U.S. users, making it the largest U.S. digital-first company in monthly social media viewers.

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