X post sparks debate as man ‘kicked out of Preston Five Guys’

American X user, Peter Della Penna, posted to the social media platform and said England “has the most unfriendly customer service country" and claims he was “chased out” of one of the fast food sites in Preston.

Peter said he was still eating his food at 10.15pm, 15 minutes after the Deepdale Retail Park officially closed, and was reportedly told “15 minutes is enough, you need to leave”.

The post, which has since received more than 3.7million views, has sparked debate with some agreeing with the “rude” treatment of Peter and others siding with workers at Five Guys.

In a series of posts the freelance cricket journalist said: “England is hands down the most unfriendly customer service country I've been. Went to a Five Guys in Preston just before closing at 10. Got my food. Was chased out by manager at 10.15 while still eating my food and told, ‘15 minutes is enough, you need to leave’. Never going back.

“If a place in the USA says they close at 10, that means last customer inside/order at 10 and eat your food at a normal pace.

"If a place in England says they close at 10, that means they want the lights out and door locked at 10 or else they don't want any part of your business.

“You could just say the kitchen is shut if you don't want me to order food that turns into revenue that goes toward paying your wage. Only a twisted mind invites and allows someone to order food and then does [this].

Some have jumped to Peter’s defence and believe he should have been allowed to stay and finish his meal.

One person said: “At every restaurant I worked at during college we would never tell people to leave if they stayed past close. UK customer service sounds like a whole different beast.”

Another person said: “I'm shocked the eat-in area was still open at that time, every fast-food place I've ever worked in shuts the tables and chairs at least half an hour before closing to avoid exactly this happening.”

Others think Peter should not have expected the venue to stay open past its official closing time.

One person said: “Full solidarity to everyone at Preston Five Guys.”

“I've been a manager in retail and they were lucky to be served at all,” a second person commented.

Another said: “If the staff only get paid to work until 10pm then why should they work beyond that?”

“You were lucky they served you I wouldn't have or I'd have said it was take-away only Those 15 minutes were wage theft from the employees,” another commented.

In a comment on the thread, Five Guys said: “Hi Peter, we're really sorry about this. Unfortunately, due to licensing, some stores cannot have customers on the premises after a certain time. Please reach out to us if you have any further concerns.”

Five Guys has been approached for official comment.