Mob Kitchen doing things that don't scale

In the competitive world of food content creation, standing out requires more than just delicious recipes and high-quality videos. For Ben Lebus, founder of Mob Kitchen, gaining initial traction meant embracing an unconventional and decidedly unscalable approach: becoming a food delivery rider for Deliveroo and secretly slipping his own marketing materials into the takeout orders he was delivering.

This grassroots growth hack not only helped spread the word about his fledgling business but also provided much-needed income during the challenging early days of his startup journey. Eight years later, Mob Kitchen has grown into a successful food media company with millions of followers, and in a fitting full-circle moment, has established an official partnership with Deliveroo—the very platform Lebus once used as a guerrilla marketing channel.

The Birth of Mob Kitchen

Ben Lebus launched Mob Kitchen in 2016 with a simple yet compelling concept: creating recipe videos that showed how to feed four people for under £10 (approximately $13). The idea was born out of Lebus’s own experiences as a university student, where he noticed a significant gap in the market for affordable, accessible, and appealing recipes targeted at young people.

“I launched Mob in 2016 with a simple mission: to create recipe videos a week that feed 4 people for under £10,” Lebus explained in a LinkedIn post. The name “Mob” was chosen to represent a community of food lovers, emphasizing the social and communal aspects of cooking and eating together.

Unlike many food content creators who focused on elaborate, expensive dishes or overly simplified student fare, Mob Kitchen aimed to strike a balance—offering recipes that were budget-friendly yet delicious, simple yet impressive. This positioning was designed to appeal to students and young professionals who wanted to cook proper meals without breaking the bank.

Early Struggles and the Need for Innovation

Despite having a clear vision and target audience, Mob Kitchen faced the same challenge that confronts most content creators in the early stages: building an audience from scratch. Lebus had created recipe videos and established a presence on Facebook, but growth was slow, and the business wasn’t gaining the traction he had hoped for.

“I thought, very naively, that I would launch Mob and it would be a huge success overnight, and I would be a millionaire by the end of the year,” Lebus admitted. This expectation quickly collided with reality as he struggled to build a following.

The situation was made more challenging by the lack of resources typical of an early-stage startup. “No brand partnerships. No advertising revenue,” Lebus recalled. Without these traditional revenue streams, he faced a dual problem: he needed to spread the word about Mob Kitchen, and he needed to generate income to keep the business afloat.

The Deliveroo Solution: Necessity Meets Creativity

Faced with these challenges, Lebus came up with an innovative solution that addressed both problems simultaneously: “I needed to get the word out about Mob. I also needed cash. So I became a Deliveroo rider.”

Deliveroo, a popular food delivery platform in the UK (similar to DoorDash or Uber Eats in the US), offered flexible work opportunities for riders who could deliver food on bicycles or motorbikes. For Lebus, becoming a Deliveroo rider provided a steady income stream while also creating an unexpected marketing opportunity.

The true stroke of genius in Lebus’s approach wasn’t just taking the delivery job—it was how he leveraged the position to promote Mob Kitchen: “I cycled around my hometown of Oxford, delivering food, and secretly slipping Mob recipe flyers into the pizza boxes.”

This guerrilla marketing tactic was brilliantly targeted. By placing his flyers in food delivery orders, Lebus was reaching people who:

1. Already had an interest in food (they were ordering takeout)
2. Might be interested in learning to cook (perhaps to save money on future takeout orders)
3. Were likely in his target demographic (young people who use food delivery apps)

The approach was personal, direct, and extremely cost-effective—the only expenses were printing the flyers and the time Lebus spent delivering food, which he was being paid for anyway.

The Daily Grind: Building a Business One Delivery at a Time

Being a delivery rider is physically demanding work, especially in a city like Oxford with its historic streets and sometimes challenging weather. Lebus would cycle around the city, delivering food to customers while simultaneously building his own business through his guerrilla marketing efforts.

“I cycled around my hometown of Oxford, delivering food, and secretly slipping Mob recipe flyers into the pizza boxes,” he recalled. “It was great. I was moving, getting exercise, meeting new people, delivering food, and chatting to them about Mob.”

This approach had benefits beyond just marketing. The physical activity helped manage the stress of entrepreneurship, and the interactions with customers provided valuable opportunities to talk about his business and get immediate feedback. These conversations likely helped Lebus refine his messaging and better understand his potential audience.

“It was the perfect thing for me to do at that point in time, and it allowed me to get through those tough early start-up moments,” Lebus reflected. The delivery job provided structure and purpose during a period when the business itself wasn’t yet providing the validation and momentum he had hoped for.

The Ethics and Risks of Guerrilla Marketing

While Lebus’s approach was undeniably creative, it also raised some ethical questions. Slipping unauthorized marketing materials into Deliveroo orders was technically against the company’s policies and could have resulted in him losing his rider position if discovered.

From the customers’ perspective, receiving unexpected flyers in their food orders might have been seen as intrusive or annoying. However, the fact that the flyers were related to food—offering recipes that might complement or replace the takeout they had just ordered—likely made them more relevant and welcome than random advertising would have been.

The risk Lebus took demonstrates the lengths to which entrepreneurs often go in the early stages of building a business. When conventional marketing channels are either ineffective or unaffordable, founders frequently turn to guerrilla tactics that operate in gray areas but can yield significant results.

Building Community Beyond Flyers

While the Deliveroo flyer distribution was a key part of Mob Kitchen’s early growth strategy, Lebus was simultaneously building the brand through more conventional channels. The company’s Facebook page featured regular recipe videos, and Lebus was working to create content that would resonate with his target audience.

The combination of online content creation and offline guerrilla marketing created a multi-pronged approach to growth. People who discovered Mob Kitchen through a flyer in their takeout order could then find and follow the brand on social media, while those who discovered the content online might share it with friends, creating organic growth through word of mouth.

This community-building aspect was central to Mob Kitchen’s identity from the beginning. The name itself—”Mob”—suggested a group or community, and Lebus focused on creating content that would bring people together around food.

From Guerrilla Marketing to Sustainable Growth

As with many “things that don’t scale,” Lebus’s Deliveroo rider approach was never intended to be a permanent solution. It was a bootstrap method to gain initial traction and generate some income while the business found its footing.

Over time, as Mob Kitchen began to grow its audience and attract attention, more sustainable growth channels emerged. The brand began to secure brand partnerships and advertising revenue, allowing Lebus to focus fully on content creation and business development rather than food delivery.

The growth was gradual rather than overnight, but the foundation laid through those early guerrilla marketing efforts proved solid. By creating genuine connections with early followers and delivering consistent value through budget-friendly recipes, Mob Kitchen built a loyal audience that continued to expand through more conventional means like social media sharing and word of mouth.

The Evolution of Mob Kitchen

From its humble beginnings with Lebus slipping flyers into pizza boxes, Mob Kitchen has evolved into a significant player in the food content space. The brand has expanded beyond its initial focus on budget recipes to cover a wider range of culinary content while maintaining its accessible, community-oriented approach.

Some key milestones in Mob Kitchen’s evolution include:

1. Expanding to multiple platforms: While initially focused on Facebook, Mob Kitchen now has a strong presence across various social media platforms, including Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
2. Publishing cookbooks: Lebus has published multiple cookbooks, extending the brand’s reach beyond digital content into traditional publishing.
3. Team growth: What started as a one-person operation has grown to include a team of content creators, chefs, and business professionals.
4. Diversified content: While maintaining its core focus on accessible recipes, Mob Kitchen has expanded its content to include various food-related topics and formats.
5. Brand partnerships: The company has established partnerships with food brands, retailers, and other organizations, creating new revenue streams and growth opportunities.

Throughout this evolution, Mob Kitchen has maintained its commitment to making cooking accessible and enjoyable for young people, staying true to the vision that inspired Lebus to start the business in the first place.

Coming Full Circle: The Deliveroo Partnership

In a remarkable full-circle moment, eight years after Lebus was secretly slipping Mob Kitchen flyers into Deliveroo orders as a rider, the two companies announced an official partnership. “Fast forward 8 years, I am very proud to announce that we are partnering with Deliveroo,” Lebus shared in June 2024.

This partnership brings together Mob Kitchen’s expertise in creating appealing, accessible recipes with Deliveroo’s delivery infrastructure: “It is a perfect partnership. Mob provides you with delicious, easy recipes. Deliveroo Groceries provides you with fresh ingredients, delivered right to your door, in as little as 20 minutes.”

The partnership includes the introduction of shoppable recipes in the Deliveroo app, allowing users to easily purchase the ingredients needed for Mob Kitchen recipes and have them delivered quickly. This integration creates a seamless experience for users and represents a natural evolution of both companies’ offerings.

For Lebus, this partnership likely carries special significance given his history with Deliveroo. What began as a guerrilla marketing tactic has transformed into a legitimate business relationship that benefits both companies and their customers.

Lessons for Entrepreneurs: The Value of Unscalable Approaches

Ben Lebus’s journey with Mob Kitchen offers several valuable lessons for entrepreneurs, particularly those in the early stages of building a business:

1. Embrace Unconventional Marketing Channels

Traditional marketing channels can be expensive and competitive, especially for new businesses with limited resources. Lebus’s approach demonstrates the value of thinking creatively about how to reach potential customers. By identifying an unconventional channel (food delivery) that gave him direct access to his target audience, he was able to market his business effectively with minimal cost.

2. Solve Multiple Problems with One Solution

Becoming a Deliveroo rider solved two critical problems for Lebus: it provided income during the early stages of his business, and it created a marketing opportunity. Entrepreneurs often face multiple challenges simultaneously, and finding solutions that address several problems at once can be particularly effective.

3. Get Direct Feedback Early

By delivering food and talking to people about Mob Kitchen, Lebus was able to get immediate feedback on his concept. This direct interaction with potential customers likely provided valuable insights that helped shape the business. Early-stage founders should prioritize opportunities to engage directly with their target audience, even if these interactions don’t scale.

4. Be Willing to Do Things That Don’t Scale

Paul Graham, co-founder of Y Combinator, famously advised startups to “do things that don’t scale” in the early stages. Lebus’s approach exemplifies this principle. Personally delivering food and manually inserting flyers into orders was not a scalable long-term strategy, but it was an effective way to gain initial traction.

5. Create Authentic Connections

Lebus didn’t just deliver food; he engaged with customers, talking to them about Mob Kitchen and building genuine connections. This personal touch likely contributed to the brand’s early growth and helped establish an authentic community around the business.

6. Maintain a Long-Term Vision While Solving Short-Term Challenges

While Lebus was focused on the immediate challenges of generating income and building an audience, he maintained a clear vision for what Mob Kitchen could become. This balance between addressing short-term needs and working toward long-term goals is crucial for early-stage entrepreneurs.

The Legacy of Lebus’s Deliveroo Days

Today, as Mob Kitchen continues to grow and evolve, the story of Ben Lebus’s days as a Deliveroo rider serves as a compelling reminder of the company’s humble beginnings. It’s a narrative that resonates with audiences and reinforces the brand’s authentic, grassroots identity.

More importantly, it stands as an inspiration to other entrepreneurs facing the daunting challenge of building something from nothing. Lebus’s willingness to take on a physically demanding job and implement a creative guerrilla marketing strategy demonstrates the hustle and resourcefulness that often characterize successful founders.

The journey from secretly slipping flyers into pizza boxes to announcing an official partnership with Deliveroo encapsulates the entrepreneurial path: starting with scrappy, unscalable methods and gradually building toward legitimate, sustainable business relationships and growth channels.

In reflecting on this journey, Lebus acknowledges the value of those early struggles: “It was the perfect thing for me to do at that point in time, and it allowed me to get through those tough early start-up moments.” For entrepreneurs in the midst of similar challenges, Lebus’s story offers both practical inspiration and the reassurance that today’s guerrilla marketing tactics might someday evolve into tomorrow’s strategic partnerships.

The Mob Kitchen story reminds us that building a successful business often requires doing things that seem small, inefficient, or even slightly subversive at the time. But these unscalable actions, when executed with passion and persistence, can lay the foundation for significant growth and success in the long run.