Five Guys apologises to pantomime dwarves 'mocked by staff'
The actors say they are "absolutely disgusted" and "very disappointed" after they were laughed at by the chain's workers.
Friday 7 December 2018 14:54, UK
Burger chain Five Guys has issued an apology after staff allegedly mocked two of the seven dwarves in a Snow White pantomime while they took a break from rehearsals.
Ben Goffe, 28, and Craig Garner, 33, went into the branch in London's West End but said staff started laughing at them.
"Absolutely disgusted with the treatment I received from #FiveGuys on #ArgyllSt today," Goffe wrote on Twitter.
"Staff were laughing at myself and my colleagues from @SnowWhiteLDN @LondonPalladium because we're short.
"Do they always laugh at their customers if they have a disability?? @FiveGuysUK @FiveGuys."
Garner said he was "very disappointed" after being "laughed at by some of the staff" as he arrived with fellow cast members.
"Is this normal protocol when greeting customers! #fail #Disability #fail," he added in a tweet.
Goffe and Garner, who have both appeared in Harry Potter films, are appearing alongside Dawn French and Julian Clary in the stage production, which opens to the public on Saturday.
Disability campaigners and social media users have expressed their anger at the actors' alleged treatment.
Theatre agent James Williams tweeted: "This is appalling @FiveGuys @FiveGuysUK - how unfortunate to have ridiculed some of the most talented people starring in the UK's largest panto @LondonPalladium - in the midst of their publicity campaign #ohyesyouhave #DisabilityIsNotAWeakness."
In a statement on Twitter, Five Guys UK said it was taking the incident "extremely seriously".
"We'd like to apologise to Ben, Craig and their colleagues following yesterday's incident at Argyll St," it said.
"We're taking this incident extremely seriously and undertaking a full investigation. Five Guys is an inclusive company and any incidences of discrimination will not be tolerated."