0:00 Talk me through how you start the scam. Like where did you even begin the idea of I'm going to create the world's most popular restaurant that doesn't actually exist but gets all these reviews and then gets written about and then people want to pay exorbitant amounts of money to come to but they've never been to it. Like >> cuz you there's a few things that you do here. >> You you encapsulate in one story hype. >> You encapsulate myth. you encapsulate like just how we in the world all want things that aren't even real. >> Cuz people were dying to go to this restaurant. People were like, "Oh, when I go to London, like, you know, where I wish I could go, but I can't get in. Oh, and the food is amazing, >> but it's not real." >> I was like, "This this man has tapped into every single thing
0:46 >> that's sort of like wrong with the world." And not today, just like it's some like the human brain. So, so walk walk us through how you created the greatest restaurant scam. How does it start? >> Uh, so yeah, I mean I suppose that I'd been when I was younger, I used to work in sort of bars and restaurants and stuff like that. I remember just hearing about TripAdvisor constantly and how if someone left a one-star review, >> it would be a problem, you know, for everyone. What what what happened last night, you know, it would be like >> it was a very serious platform. >> Was that much power? >> Yeah. Yeah. >> Yeah. I I so so I ended up I actually before I did the restaurant thing. So what happened was yeah so I had that little experience years five six years pass then I start uh working as a writer trying to work as a writer to move to
1:32 London try and start hustling try and like what can I get paid for what gigs can I get paid for? >> Yeah I know this life >> and uh and the I there was a like a freelance website and it was called uh people per hour and uh they would like people would advertise like writer we need a writer to do x y or zed. One of the gigs on there was writing fake five star reviews for restaurants to to juice their to juice their ratings. >> God loves you. >> Yeah. Yeah. So, so I started doing that and and I would just go like go on their website go all right okay I went there I had the whatever >> way way Uber you can't just skim over this because I'll tell you I'll tell you why because right now what you're doing I think for me and I I think other people is you are >> exposing the very underpinnings of how
2:19 like we think society works >> no cuz a lot of people they like people trust reviews which was this kind of like uh uh um Gonzo style, social experimenty style thing. This is great because you're showing me how, >> you know, to pull off one of the greatest scams that's ever been pulled off. >> You needed to have all the tools. >> Yeah. >> Like your origin story. So, you had it in your DNA, >> right? You got the grandfather who's like literally the snake oil salesman. >> You've got like your dad's who's a bullshitter, but just like in life, he's like he's cuz he's got it in in him. Okay. You're the you're the runt of the litter. So you're like, "How do I get attention? How do I make my way?" All right. So you got this vibe. Then you go to Jehovah's Witness training, the ultimate sales camp.
3:06 >> So now you're learning how to like >> how to sell people on a thing that they can't see and like you just have to get them to believe in it and you know what I mean? And and notoriously are not liked. And you meet the reviewers who teach you about reviewing and what reviewing is. So you got all of these pieces >> and then you go, "Okay, this is it." >> Yeah. Yeah. I'm going to I'm going to launch my my fake restaurant. >> Yes. Yeah. So, I I I I basically just kind of had an idea, a thought about the platform that I knew that the reviews were a lot of them could have been falsified. It was very easy to falsify. >> Wait, I have one question before you get into that though. >> I don't understand how you put the restaurant on Trip Advisor. Does nobody confirm these places exist or don't? How does that work? >> So, yeah. No, I I'll tell you, but basically like I looked into it. So, the reviews were very easy to leave. the
3:52 accounts you can create them very easily and then the restaurants themselves felt out it felt like something that would be impossible to falsify. >> So I kind of just like >> just started trying it out. I was like okay so >> okay so I went on it create a restaurant on Trip Advisor. >> What do I want as the name? So I was living >> I was living in a garden shed at the time out at the back of someone's house. So I just moved to London and it was like the only place I could afford. It was800 pound a month which is still not that cheap but anyway whatever £800 a month >> person just just all all of it it's literally >> it was it was a jet blue >> I I just sorry I'm so >> No it's good it's good >> it's good >> per person >> it was a say per person >> per person oh you're talking about the
4:38 uh nothing beats a tattoo yeah that is absolutely hilarious and uh yeah so I called it the shed at Dulich. I was living in a garden shed in in in London at the time. Yeah. Genuinely, um you had you had to put like an address, so I just put the name of the road. Okay. >> And it didn't didn't make you specify. And I was like, well, no one's going to know cuz I'm at the back as well. So, it was like got cover. >> There's load of people who six people who lived in the house, the main house, and then at the very back, I was living in a garden shed. >> Uh and then what else? She needed like a mobile. So, I bought like a kind of drug dealer phone from it from your living. >> Yeah. You need a a website and you need a an email. That was easy to do. And I made this website with the help of my mates. So, it was like all these photos on there that looked like gourmet food
5:25 and it looked like Michelin star quality food, but the images were actually like cropped versions of bigger images that like 6 months later when this all went viral and came out, I revealed was like one of the meals that looked like a delicious meal was like an egg on my foot and like another and another thing And another thing was like >> mean all our lives. >> It was like you know these urinal cakes you get and that was made made that look like a pan fried scolop and like had it with with like a Yeah, it does. It does. Put some honey on there, some stones from a fish tank and like that was genuinely it was like me and my mate Chris and shaving foam. That was it. So seaf foam like shaving
6:11 foam. Yeah, >> there's me and my mate Chris who I'd been working with for Vice. We used to have loads of fun doing these weird pieces and I was like, "Come over and do this thing. It's not going to be paid cuz I was doing this on my own at the time. Vice weren't even aware that I was doing this and for a while actually." Um, and yeah, that kind of we I sent all this stuff off to TripAdviser. The kind of concept behind the restaurant was like uh it was an appointment only restaurant. Like you can only get a table if you you have to apply and we'll like vet you and we'll see what happens. Uh yeah, it was like uh yeah, that was kind of the concept. The the meal the the uh menu was like you order moods at the shed, not meals. Like you have comfort or whatever and it's all like moodbased. >> Uh which was just I was just trying to think of wanky things that would like
6:56 sound like >> I mean it is brilliant though because >> you know this is the weird thing about a scam is often times a scam is more well thought out than a real thing. Yeah, cuz I'm listening to this and I'm like, I want to go to this restaurant even though I know it's a scam. What? Cuz think about how many times you go to a restaurant and you're like, actually, it's the mood that I'm looking for, >> not the food. Like, can can I specify? Yeah, I would like that actually. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> Yeah. I mean, I >> that's a genius idea. >> But this is all like I have the privilege now of thinking about this project like this. At the time, I was just sort of putting it together and seeing what would work and expecting it to not work. So, like I sent all that off like all the all the idea of it, the concept, all that. Sent it off to Trip Advisor and expected it to not not work,
7:43 you know, to not go live, but it it went live. No vetting, no verification. It's completely easy to do. I was live on the website, and that was when I was like, okay, I suppose I'll try and get some reviews for this now. >> So, then I started contacting friends and family. >> I hope you didn't call that other guy. >> Which one? Mr. Mr. bad review guy. Oh, him. Oh, >> no. He needs to be kept away from >> He needs to be kept. I think he's spiritually the opposite to this. He sees it as his like greater cause in life. Ah, he was a sweetheart, but you know, horrendous to be around. Uh, but he uh, yeah, so I just started having people write these reviews and I was getting family and friends roping them into it, implicating more people. Nice.
8:28 Nicely done. Nicely done. >> That's another part. >> Got to get coconspirators. That's right. But I was filming little bits, you know, cuz I was mainly writing at the time. I wasn't doing documentaries yet. I only went on to do those. So I just liked writing because >> it was really nice to write something. It's just you you it's your voice. You have an editor. You collaborate and that's it. >> Whereas when you're making TV, which I do now, there's 30, 40 of you, and that's great, but it's different. You know, it's different. >> Um, >> so everyone's jumping in. >> Everyone's leaving these five star reviews. We're going up the rankings. Feels >> three. Oh, wait, wait, wait. So you start trip you start going up on the Trip Advisor rankings. Is this that moment where you go like, "Oh [ __ ] we're on to something." >> Yes. Yeah. Exactly. It was it it was we were number 18,000 out of 18,000 in London. And then slowly it was like, you
9:14 know, within about 6 weeks we were up to number 1,400 or something like that. And I was higher than my local restaurants in Dulich where I was living. And I was like, "That's bizarre." And uh but it felt like nothing. And then one day the phone that I bought for the uh the drug dealer phone, >> the drug dealer phone calls and it's like an actual human on the other end of the phone being like, "Oh, hello there. >> I know. Uh I love the sound of your moodbased meal. Please, can I have an appointment this Friday?" or whatever. And it was the first time that a real person started was paring the mythology to me. >> And um you know, I just said to him, "I'm sorry, we're fully booked for the next six weeks. Put the phone down." >> That always gets them. Yeah. But yeah, I mean it genuinely does. It gets me like
9:59 this is it. It's like I could have easily been on the other end of that phone. I'm not saying I'm better than that. We all are. That's what I mean. It's like it's so funny how that like it always doesn't matter who you are. >> Fully booked for the when you find out the thing you want is has been overly wanted and it's gone. >> You can't now you can't stop pining. You can't stop thinking about it. You know what I mean? >> Fully booked for the next 6 weeks. >> And that was like my mantra from then on. Just kept on saying >> just fully booked for next week. 6 weeks fully booked. Exactly. And it was like, you know, started out cute, few calls a day. I was getting emails. Then it's just start just keeps on going up and up and up. And the people that you tell no to are the ones who 100% will call back 10 times, you know, and it's it was just the momentum just started gathering. And that would been so that that's like 4 months in. Do you know what I mean? That's like been going
10:45 on for 4 months. Slow drip of reviews cuz I'm doing it while I'm having to make a living doing other things. like uh it's not like my mom and dad are paying for my rent and I can just sit down. I'm working >> and then I'm like, "Oh, I need to do and scamming scamming and scamming." >> I like that. >> But like, you know, it was like it it it it just got more exciting the the more it went on, got more real. People like the local council being like, "We want to relocate you to an ent area. We're gentrifying at reduced rates and all this stuff." >> Come on. What are you talking about? >> People applying for jobs, things like that. Like it was it was very it the pl It showed how >> the government is reaching out to you. >> Yeah. >> And offering you tax incentives.
11:31 >> Yeah. >> But you don't exist. >> Yeah. I don't Can I tell you something? >> You've exposed a lot about politics. >> This is my thing. >> And politicians. This is this is what I mean about you Uber is like you I don't I don't think you understand what an impact you've had on my life from afar >> because >> you you're the reason like Ryan who's like sitting here like Ryan we we'll always like try find food try find and Ryan's like a super foodie guy but one day randomly Ryan was like I've started doing something crazy and I think it was like after this was like >> we just go to a place >> we don't look at the reviews we don't even look a place we just So find a place near you, walk in and eat the food. >> Yep. >> And then afterwards, look at the reviews. >> Interesting. >> You'll be shocked at how many times the
12:17 review doesn't match up >> with how you felt about the >> experience. Yeah. Your personal experience. >> Just your personal experience. >> But a lot of that came from you because we were like, "Wait, wait, wait, wait. >> If you can create a whole fake world of the best food, >> then maybe there's also a fake world of the worst food, >> right? like maybe this place is getting [ __ ] reviews because people just don't like its vibe. They haven't got the mood right. They just just walk in and eat the food. >> And then the second thing you did like and I didn't even know about the government side of it is you just made me realize how much we all all of it like you said no one's sort of better. How we all are so easily duped into accepting a version of reality >> that we like willingly, you know what I mean? every the fact that the government
13:03 contacted you and wanted to give you tax incentives >> but had never been to the restaurant, >> never seen it. >> Had never seen it, had never seen a tax return, had never se nothing. Now >> then I'm like, how who else did they move there? >> Yeah, >> that's what I'm thinking. >> Cuz you know, sometimes you're in a neighborhood and then all of a sudden there's random restaurants that pop up and you're like, who how did these restaurants get here? >> Yeah. >> You know, the first restaurants to move into a neighborhood. >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. >> And now it's just a bunch of Ubers. No offense, >> taking chances. >> All the other all the other Jehovah's Witnesses and me. >> He's just like, >> "Yeah." >> So, okay. So, this thing. So, okay. Now, you're at like the peak cuz I mean once government's calling you, it's it's it's
13:49 on >> people. Yeah. I mean I was getting called constantly and and what the clientele starts changing from like locals to then like tourists to then like uh influencers uh different people from like kind of who are high up professionals like having their teams reach out from >> calling on behalf of >> Yeah. I mean I think I can say it now because uh I don't think they exist anymore but like Universal Studios wanted to bring their teams their team over. Yeah. It was kind of I've never I've actually never said that before so there you go. Uh, and and it was like, yeah, I it was fascinating having like and and we weren't even number one by that. We were getting into the top 50, you know, it was like and and I think the thing is is like you said earlier about we had loads and loads of reviews. We actually didn't. We had we just all of our reviews were five stars and there
14:35 was the way the algorithm was functioning was like about almost like it maybe it functioned like momentum and because I was doing it part-time until it started getting crazy, I was like, "Okay, this is the best project ever. I need to land the plane on this thing. Who knows where it's going? >> You were like, I need to get into this restaurant. >> Six weeks. >> Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. Um Yeah. And then it was just like one of those things where uh I was in a meeting actually with Vice's uh we was talking about another project wanted me to do and my phone kept ringing like what the [ __ ] is going on and I >> Yeah. >> And I was like well actually I've been working on this other thing on the side and they were like oh wow this sounds like a epic >> Yeah. this sounds amazing. >> And I was like, well, I've been filming all my me taking all the calls. I've been filming myself. So,
15:20 >> yeah, okay, sounds good. >> And I wanted to write about it anyway. But that that was the first time where I was like, okay, maybe maybe I could do on camera stuff as well. This could this feels like it could be that. So, then they started I started thinking about how I wanted to what what next? And I thought, >> if I can get as many people as possible to leave reviews in the next two weeks, maybe we'll make number one. Maybe we'll do that. It's like a final push. Then I started noticing things like people were leaving reviews who had never been there who uh who I didn't know. Not never been there. Of course I' never been there. People I'm I'm bringing my own This is how big it is. >> Yeah, I know. It's it's Yeah. Do you have a table for the blue pills? >> But like Yeah, there were people who
16:06 were leaving reviews who I didn't make leave the reviews. So it was almost like they said have the kudos of having been there >> and so you know I reviewed that >> but they were leaving five stars. >> Yes. >> Yes. Exactly. >> Crazy man. >> We have we have now we have reached peak. >> Yeah. And it was uh Yeah. That was sort of I think it was uh November 2017. That was then and when we became Yeah. the number one rated restaurant. >> Congratulations man. >> Yeah it was it was crazy. Yeah, I was I was uh remember checking the thing cuz we'd gone up we were like top three and then we went down to number eight and I was like wow what a story top 10. >> Were you upset about the number eight? >> No, I was just like this is insane and then it was number one and I was like >> then you were happy then you popped. >> It was just like local councilman.
16:56 >> It's just like one of those moments where you know that your life's changed and it's not cuz it's such an insane thing that would happen. for it to happen was so crazy and so unlikely that I was like, "Okay, this is this is probably the craziest thing that's ever gonna happen.
