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Viral chef and business owner Darius Williams is under fire after over 70 of his customers issued complaints about unreceived merchandise or event tickets that they were never refunded for.
The Better Business Bureau (BBB) of the Metro Atlanta area issued a statement on May 18, warning consumers about the chef’s business. The agency shared that Darius Cooks, LLC has an “F” rating in its records “due to recent unanswered complaints.”
The BBB also said it “advises consumers to use caution when doing business with Darius Cooks, LLC…”
Williams, popularly known online by his brand’s name, is a self-taught chef and former restauranteur with 679k followers on Instagram.
The viral chef’s following is also strong on Facebook and YouTube.
Consumers who shared their stories with the BBB said Daruius Cooks, LLC failed to follow through with their orders or respond to “requests for refunds” after they paid for items including cookbooks, cookware and tickets to Williams’ “Dining with Darius” events, Fox 5 Atlanta reports.
When asked about the BBB’s warning, Williams responded, “Respectfully, I don’t care,” according to the local news outlet.
Williams has a history of blocking customers who’ve gone on social media to voice their complaints and request refunds, Fox 5 Atlanta additionally noted. More disturbingly, the outlet highlighted that the chef has previously made the personal information of his some of his critics public and encouraged his followers to go doxx and troll them.
This isn’t the first time Williams has been linked to controversy or accused of running scams.
The Chicago native and his online trolls were embroiled in an online back and forth last summer with private chef and cookbook author, Angela “The Kitchenista” Davis.
Williams and his followers targeted Davis after she outlined several of Williams’ misgivings on social media. The Kitchenista’s posts shed light on a pattern of Williams disrespecting Black women, plagiarizing recipes, operating an illegal credit repair business, mistreating employees and scamming investors, according to Forbes.
“Davis posted screenshots on Twitter of complaints against Williams from the Better Business Bureau, links to ongoing lawsuits, and retweeted posts from former employees who alleged they were never compensated for their work,” Southern Grit Magazine reported.
At the time, the Kitchenista’s posts spawned the viral #dariuscrooks.
Her grievances with Williams coincided with those of Food Network star Sunny Anderson, who shared her own experience with Williams’ shady maneuvers in business.
Read the recent warning statement on Darius Cooks via the BBB.
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