Name: Julian Metcalfe
Job title: Founder and group CEO
Company: Itsu
What was your first job? I was 19 – a terrified crew member on a sailing boat owned by an elderly French couple who were nudists. I was a bit motion-sick, to be honest.
What’s been your worst job interview? I’ve never endured a job interview. Actually, that’s not true. When I was 26 and had recently started Pret a Manger, I went to work on Oxford Street for two days to see what a very busy coffee shop’s sales were like. Getting a job there was the only way.
During my interview, I was given a filthy, smelly, used company uniform T-shirt to wear that day. I learned a good lesson about respect and less about business. Itsu now has two awesome venues on Oxford Street serving fresh, Asian, healthy food.
“It’s no walk in the park, but it is captivating and often fun”
What was the first music single you bought? Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon and Garfunkel.
How do you describe your job to your friends? “I work for Itsu. I make all-natural, delicious noodles and broth in Japan. We sell them in grocery shops all over the UK for under £2. It’s food of the Gods… have you had them? You should – you’d love them. Itsu does tonnes of amazing East Asian food in fresh, frozen and ambient.”
What is the most rewarding part of your job? The teamwork, the innovation, the tasting, the branding, the energy, the commitment and passion of the amazing [youngish] people I work alongside. They’re real champions. The extraordinary success of Itsu Grocery is entirely them.
What is the least rewarding part of your job? Facing up to the relentlessly hard work – battling to astound Itsu customers with awesome, delicious Asian-inspired new ideas… which are affordable and healthy. It’s no walk in the park, but it is captivating and often fun.
What is your motto in life? Listen to your wife (she said that).
If you were allowed one dream perk, what would it be? A full-time Japanese chef – at home 24/7!
Do you have any phobias? Plenty! Being late, being lazy are just two.
Read more:
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If you could change one thing in grocery, what would it be? I’d ban all discounting – forever, everywhere.
What luxury would you have on a desert island? An old iron kettle and lots of Itsu noodles and broth pots.
What animal most reflects your personality? A sausage dog: needy, loving, unreasonable and tenacious.
What’s your favourite film and why? Argo – gripping and brilliant!
What has been the most embarrassing moment in your life? When I failed to recognise my girlfriend of 30 years prior.
Which celebrity would you most like to work with and why? David Bowie – a legend, low-key, funny, original, brilliant, humble and tragically gone… so I don’t have to worry about being star-struck.
What would your death row meal be? Triple serving of fresh Japanese uni (sea urchin eggs) inside a pot of Itsu noodles and broth, with a dollop of wasabi cream and some iced sake.
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