'Uber?' Indian-origin man in Australia claims he countered McDonald's staff after he was mistaken as delivery driver

Time of India

a day ago

Praveen Param, an Indian-origin Melbourne man, shared his experience of facing 'everyday racism' in Australia as he went to take food at a McDonald's. Praveen said as soon as he entered, the gentleman behind the counter asked him whether he was from Uber Eats.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
Praveen said he told the staff that he came to place an order and received his meal.
In his TikTok video, Praveen said he felt like asking the staff why he thought he was an Uber driver. "I said to him, 'just because a lot of people from my ethnic background may do Uber, it doesn't mean everyone does Uber - assuming that only makes you look like an a**hole,"' Praveen Param said.
"This white man then obviously decides to double down on his racism and says, 'oh nah I didn't mean it like that, it's just that the people who come into this Maccas who are Indian often end up being Uber drivers'," Praveen said what the staff told him.
'This is the reality of being a South East Asian person living in Australia,' he said.
"No matter what your achievements are, how you treat people, how you dress, [or] how you conduct yourself you will always be reduced to some stereotype by some white person out there."
"Australians - do better. People here think that they're open-minded, when the reality is they are not."
The reaction to his experience was varied, including some asking him to leave Australia.
Some pointed out that there should not be any problem to be mistaken for an Uber driver. "Nothing wrong with the assumption. The Uber guy is just doing a job just like you have a job. Nothing bad at all to be assumed you do Uber. Sorry mate. It should not bother you if you respected others doing Uber," one wrote.
"I'm half Sri Lankan. I've been stereotyped like that before. Instead of playing the victim I had a laugh with the worker and told them not to worry about it.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
It's not that deep. They're not doing it out of malice," one wrote.
DailyMail reported that McDonald's issued a statement apologizing for the incident. "At McDonald's, we are committed to giving our customers a great experience every time they visit our restaurants," a spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia. "Our doors are open to everyone, and we strive to ensure our restaurants are safe, inclusive, and respectful workplaces for our customers and crew."