MORE than one in three people would ditch a dinner date for using a knife and fork to eat a burger.
In a poll, 37 per cent said they would find it a turn-off to see the person across the table use cutlery instead of their hands.
Women were more likely to be troubled at a dining partner picking up the eating irons — four in ten “horrified” compared to 34 per cent of blokes.
Overall, folk from the North West — 43 per cent — were most likely to be offended, followed by East Midlanders at 42 per cent, the survey said.
The Welsh were least bothered, just 28 per cent saying using a knife and fork for burgers made them feel “a bit odd”, the poll of 2,000 Brits by TGI Fridays found.
Etiquette expert Jo Bryant explained: “The proper way to eat a burger is to pick it up, take a bite, and put it down between mouthfuls.
“The worst burger etiquette would be to eat it all without stopping for breath, or add the sides such as fries into the bun.
“If the burger is particularly big, it is proper etiquette to cut it in half. Cutlery would also be used when dining with royalty.”
1 – North West – 43%
2 – East Midlands – 42%
3 – South East – 40%
4 – West Midlands – 39%
5 – South West – 38%
6 – North East – 37%
7 – East of England – 36%
8 – Yorkshire & Humber – 33%
9 – Scotland – 30%
10 – Wales – 28%
