Wafflemeister’s Rikos Leong-Son on challenger brands, Star Wars and waffles

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Rikos Leong-Son, Wafflemeister

Name: Rikos Leong-Son

Job title: CEO

Company: Wafflemeister

What was your first job? When I was 13 or 14, alongside school I worked as a cleaner, starting at 6.30am in a residential care home during weekends and holidays. When I turned 16, I was working in the kitchen prepping tea.

What’s been your worst job interview? I’ve not done a job interview in over 20 years, so it would have to be one from my finance days. I remember I went in totally unprepared, not knowing enough about the company, the role, the specifics. I was put to shame, and they were right – I’ve never made that mistake again.

What was the first music single you bought? Billy Joel’s Uptown Girl was my first single – it was a great video, I was at the age when I was getting into music, and I think it was the number one at the time.

My first album was Alchemy by Dire Straits. They are still classics.

“The biggest reward is seeing people eating your product out and about and having a huge smile their face”

How do you describe your job to your friends? I often say I’m in the fun business, although it’s incredibly hard work to make it fun and to push the business. We’re always juggling, and those balls are getting bigger and more balls are coming in – it’s really fun but you need sheer determination and luck!

What is the most rewarding part of your job? The biggest reward is seeing people eating your product out and about and having a huge smile their face.

What is the least rewarding part? Having to deal with admin and bureaucracy that sometimes has gone out of control is very frustrating. You have to climb a mountain just to go up a step and that is not much fun sometimes.

What is your motto in life? Live today, because one day there’ll be no tomorrow, and that covers everything, from friends to work to family. Everything you do, you should do with passion – otherwise, don’t do it.

If you were allowed one dream perk, what would it be? A driver – I use my bike a lot, but I do a lot of travelling and sometimes it would be more efficient if someone else could do the driving and I could do some work.

Wafflemeister

Do you have any phobias? I dislike extremes. I don’t have a phobia of spiders or snakes, but I wouldn’t want to be in a pit of them like in Indiana Jones. I also don’t mind heights, but I wouldn’t want to be hanging at an extreme height.

If you could change one thing in grocery, what would it be? How we as challenger brands get noticed and get shelf space, because at the moment, shoppers shop on routine and it’s really hard to get them to change habits.

It’s extremely expensive for an up-and-coming brand to communicate with the customer, so maybe if there was a way of working together better to explain key benefits, that would be great. There are so many great products and brands out there, but they just don’t have a chance.

What luxury would you have on a desert island? A wok (with unlimited noodles). I love Asian food, and the cuisine is so broad – I could cook noodles for breakfast, lunch and dinner all from my wok.

What animal most reflects your personality? I’m extremely hard-working, loyal, and I love being with people. So maybe a horse.

What’s your favourite film and why? Star Wars because it was a huge part of my childhood, but also you get to understand through understanding the life journeys of key characters, that you should never judge a book by its cover.

I often tell the team, customers come to us because they want a treat or they need a treat. We have no idea what day, week or life they are dealing with. So we greet them with a smile and try and make their day no matter what.

What has been the most embarrassing moment in your life? I don’t really get embarrassed because you have to learn from everything that you do. If you’re not taking steps and having the odd fall, you’re not moving forward – we all make mistakes all the time, and as long as I’m learning from it, then I don’t feel embarrassed.

Which celebrity would you most like to work with and why? I would have loved to work with George Michael, because the guy was a genius, he was so extremely talented and creative, and hard-working. He also seemed like a lovely guy – there are endless stories about him giving money and help to charity behind the scenes.

What would your death row meal be? A freshly baked Liège Dream Team waffle, which is a waffle made with sugar pearls, paired with vanilla bean gelato and drizzled with melted Belgian dark chocolate.