Millionaire Deliveroo boss recalls how ‘rude’ restaurant staff brushed him off when he complained about cold food when he went undercover as a rider for £5billion company
- CEO of Deliveroo has admitted he often poses as a rider to test out the system
- Recalled how ‘rude’ restaurant staff once brushed him off when he complained
- Only some riders recognise him during his rounds in London, he revealed on The Diary of a CEO podcast
The CEO of Deliveroo has admitted he often poses as a rider to test out the system – and recalled how ‘rude’ restaurant staff once brushed him off when he complained about cold food.
Co-founder Will Shu carries out the odd delivery on his bike for unaware customers – with only some colleagues recognising him during his rounds in London, he revealed on The Diary of a CEO podcast.
He explained that he completes the collections and deliveries to test out the Deliveroo app, as a ‘decent way to exercise’ and to ‘see the restaurants in action too’.
During one of his rounds near his home in Notting Hill, Will, thought to be a millionaire thanks to his £5billion firm, was ‘rudely’ brushed off by staff at one of the eateries when he warned them that the food they’d given him to deliver was cold.
The CEO of Deliveroo (pictured) has recalled how ‘rude’ restaurant staff once brushed him off when he complained about cold food when posing as a rider
‘I did five deliveries last night in Notting Hill,’ the notoriously private entrepreneur said. ‘No one recognises me, the rider’s sometimes, but I’m not like a celebrity so no one recognises me.’
Speaking about unwitting restaurant staff being ‘rude’ to him, he continued: ‘I was like “Hey, I’ve been waiting for a while”. I’m like “come on”.
‘Then I got the food and it was kind of cold, and I’m like “Hey, you know this food’s kind of cold”. And they were like: “Just deliver it buddy”.
Co-founder Will Shu (pictured) carries out the odd delivery on his bike for unaware customers – with only some colleagues recognising him during his rounds in London, he revealed on The Diary of a CEO podcast
‘It was really funny, as they were being rude to me, this other rider walked up to me. He didn’t know who I was. He was just like “you see, these guys are at it again”‘, Will added.
The CEO said he didn’t tell the staff who he was because he wants to understand what his riders are going through, and instead of having a word, he logs it in his notes.
Asked if he would be informing the restaurant’s bosses, he said: ‘100 per cent I will.’
He said he would say: ‘I waited around for a long time, you clearly had made the food, it was just sitting around, we need to figure out a way to get this to work.
Will (pictured) explained that he completes the collections and deliveries to test out the Deliveroo app, as a ‘decent way to exercise’ and to ‘see the restaurants in action too’
‘And please tell your staff just smile, say “hey, how are you doing”. It makes a big difference in people’s days.’
Will revealed his top three reasons for completing deliveries for his company, including testing out the Deliveroo app, as a ‘decent way to exercise’ and to ‘see the restaurants in action too’.
He explained: ‘I always test our rider app, so it’s a good way to do it. Secondly, decent way to get some exercise, and you’re just on the road, and you’re not thinking about anything else. I actually find it very relaxing.
‘Thirdly, I can actually see the restaurants in action too. The consumer doesn’t want to talk to you, but they just want their food, I get it. But the restaurants you can learn a lot just by spending time there.’