Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
- An Uber Eats rider has built a YouTube following of over 138,000 subscribers by videoing his work.
- Bryce Pritchett documents his experience as a delivery rider in some of London's wealthiest spots.
- But Pritchett said he refused to pick up from McDonald's due to poor treatment and a drinks issue.
Bryce Pritchett is an Uber Eats delivery rider and YouTuber who has built a following of over 138,000 subscribers by videoing himself making deliveries around London.
Mostly posting shorts on his account "London Hustle," Pritchett captures point-of-view clips as he navigates London's busy streets.
But of the many restaurants and chains that Uber Eats works with, Pritchett said there was one that he avoided — McDonald's.
YouTube channel
Pritchett, 23, said he had the idea to start filming his deliveries for TikTok and YouTube after he was asked to pick up an order for 15 pumpkins for a customer around Halloween last year.
Since then, several of his videos have gone viral, with one showing him delivering a single cream donut from Dunkin' Donuts receiving over 9.6 million views on TikTok.
@london_hustle Customer Ordered Just 1 Doughnut #london #funny #dunkindonuts #delivery
♬ original sound - London Hustle - London Hustle
Pritchett, who said he usually worked four days a week in two shift patterns, between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. and between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m., normally follows the best-paying jobs.
But he said a series of issues led him to quit picking up deliveries from McDonald's.
"It's notoriously slow for orders, and they kind of treat the delivery staff pretty poorly," Pritchett said.
But Pritchett said that there was another, day-to-day issue that also had caused him to steer clear of the chain — its drinks.
"The way they seal their drinks isn't great. If it's a hot drink it's more than likely to spill, and the same with cold drinks," he said.
"I just try to avoid McDonald's now," he added.
McDonald's was briefly Uber Eats' prized possession, with the companies enjoying an exclusive contract in the UK until the fast food giant struck up a partnership with Just Eat in 2020.
In a response to a request for comment from Insider, McDonald's suggested it would investigate the matter.
Tipping culture
Uber Eats delivery drivers, including the company's undercover CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, have taken issue with customers who engage in "tip-baiting," which is when a customer suggests they will leave a big tip before going back on it when their food is delivered or leaving a much lower amount.
But Pritchett said that while he was aware of the practice, tip-baiting wasn't really an issue in the UK, as many UK customers don't tip in the first place.
One of Pritchett's most popular YouTube videos, posted in February, shows him working a 24-hour shift.
He said he earned £240, which is around $306, for the shift, or £10 an hour — around the UK minimum wage.
Despite delivering to some of London's most exclusive areas, including Soho, Oxford Street, and South Kensington, Pritchett said he only earned £8, or about $10.21, in tips during the shift — a far cry from the experience of delivery drivers in the US.
A DoorDash spokesperson previously told Insider that the majority of DoorDash customers left a tip and that, on average, drivers earned around $25 an hour while delivering.
A Philadelphia food-delivery driver also told Insider that he would decline 75% of orders and hang around wealthy areas to get bigger tips.
"I'm not doing this to gamble. I'm doing this to make money," he said.
But Pritchett said that his YouTube views had helped him earn a bit of extra income, especially from his more successful videos, making some of the more gruelling aspects of the job just that little bit easier.
Are you an Uber Eats driver with a story? Contact this reporter by email at rhogg@insider.com.