A restaurant on the Isle of Wight has sparked fury for charging customers £2 to take the lettuce off their burgers - but they say the bizarre fee was a mistake.
The George Hotel and Beach Club in Yarmouth states on its menu: "Any removal or addition of an ingredient - £2."
This means that a plain burger without cheese, bacon, lettuce, relish or onions would cost £35.50.
And removing the buns and fries, opting for just the patty, would cost £39.50.
Prices for the food have been branded "eye-watering", and "exorbitant" with customers fuming over the £2 removal fee.
The restaurant says that was an error but hit back at criticism of their prices, suggesting diners "make up their minds before entering" if they're happy to pay.
Times writer Patrick Kidd fumed: "£21.50 for a burger in a pub is immoral to start with, before you get to adding £2 for removing the lettuce."
BBC Radio Two presenter Kate Bottley blasted: "My son has sensory issues because of his neurodiversity. He doesn't like certain foods touching.
"And won't eat some foods at all. The only time this is ever a problem is in the U.K. 'Can he have everything separated on his plate and no sauce?' 'No'."
But Phil Pinder pointed out: "Typical Southerner - you go nuts on the £2 charge, but not £21.50 for burger and fries."
Graham said: "What an absolute joke. I'm a chef, have been all my life and I've never seen a policy like that."
One joker suggested: "Order it with everything in, but take out the lettuce & onion etc and leave them as your tip.
"Or go somewhere else where a burger and chips isn't £21.50."
Reviews from customers online also said the policy was bonkers - with one angry diner choosing to feed their unwanted burger bun to the seagulls instead of paying the £2 fee to remove it.
A Tripadvisor review from David B fumed: "Back to the prices - very expensive, e.g £21 for a burger, when asking for the burger without the bun (saves wasting a good bun) we were told it would then be £23 - yes, £2 more, for us to not have the bun....
"Amazing, so we had the bun and gave it to the seagulls."
A spokesman for the George Hotel and Beach Club said: "This was a mistake on the menu.
"Secondly, I would point out that we are not a pub, we are a high-end beach restaurant and hotel with one of the most incredible settings on the UK coastline and with the high costs of ingredients and staff wages it is, I am afraid, necessary to charge £21.50 for our burger.
"We do not charge anything to subtract the toppings, the note on the menu was a mistake and has been rectified.
"Our hygiene rating is 5 star and our food is excellent and made from locally sourced ingredients.
"The menu is displayed in menu display boxes at the entrances to the hotel.
"If the pricing is not desirable, I suggest customers make up their minds before entering."
In 2021 the restaurant - which is understood to be under new management - suffered a setback when it was slapped with a one star hygiene rating.
Environmental Health bosses at the Isle of Wight Council's inspection team said "major improvement" was needed following the September 2021 inspection.
It is understood cleanliness and conditions, including pest control, saved the establishment from a rating of zero.
In 2019 the kitchen was headed up by the youngest chef to ever get a Michelin Star, Robert Thompson.
Chef Thompson is understood to have since moved on to the North House, a boutique hotel on the island.
