Danny Malin (born November 1979)[1] is an English YouTube personality. He is the host of the YouTube series Rate My Takeaway, in which he visits and reviews takeaway food shops, mainly in Northern England, although some reviews have included London, New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and various cities in Scotland, Wales and Ireland. As of July 2024,[update]Rate My Takeaway has over 711,000 subscribers and over 161 million views since it began in June 2020.[2]
Danny has also featured as a regular speaker on the British daytime television show Steph's packed lunch.
In December 2021 Malin launched a charity single called `Santa's Takeaway` in a bid to get the Christmas number one single. Trussell Trust and MIND were the charities to benefit.[3]
Format
Malin begins each show with the greeting, "Now then guys, how ya doin'? Back on the road again!" He then announces the city and takeaway shop he will be visiting, with his "cameraman", occasionally his editor (who speaks to Danny when he is present) filming the journey. Upon arrival, Malin takes a folding table and folding chair from the boot of his car and proceeds to the shop. After engaging with the counter staff, he will order several courses then set up his table and chair outside the shop.[4] When the meal arrives, he will taste and comment on each course. Finally, when he rates the takeaway, he ends it with a comment in his characteristically strong accent, such as, "If I'm honest wi' yer, it's a solid nine from me."[5]
Businesses have reported a surge in business following reviews by Malin.[6][7]
As Malin's popularity has increased, his reviews are often interrupted by fans seeking a chat or a selfie.[8][9]
The Chair
Malin had used the same camping chair for all his broadcasts. However, during the episode that aired on 10 January 2022, the chair broke after a safety pin snapped on it causing Malin to fall down. The broken chair was subsequently sold for charity on the internet auction site eBay.[10] The money raised would go to the buyer's charity of choice. The highest bid exceeded £50,000 but the bid was not honoured.[11] The fate of the chair is unknown.
United States tour
In August 2022, Rate My Takeway embarked on a tour of the United States. Destinations for reviews included New York, Las Vegas and Los Angeles.[12]
As part of the tour, Malin met up with long-time fan of the show Josh Weinstein, who was a writer of The Simpsons. They had a chat over a burger and fries at Marina Del Rey.[13]
Personal life
Malin was born in Barnsley.[14] He now resides in Morley Leeds, West Yorkshire, where he worked at a butcher's shop in Kirkgate Market.[15] His longtime partner Carrie Taylor died suddenly of a heart attack in February 2021. They had two children, and Carrie had a son from a previous relationship.[16] In December 2022, Malin announced his engagement to journalist Sophie Mei Lan.[17] Malin married Mei Lan in June 2023 in Yorkshire. They had a daughter in September 2023.[18] He runs a joint YouTube channel with his wife called Mr and Mrs Yorkshire where he and Mei film vlogs together around Yorkshire. As of July 2024, they have over 7,000 subscribers.[19]
In 2022, Malin became a silent business partner Brody's burger restaurant in Pudsey, which is now permanently closed.[20][21]
