A former royal butler has insisted the only way to eat a burger is with a fork and knife – but an etiquette expert said this may not always be the case.
‘While it is true that most people use their hands eat a hamburger“If you do it properly, with a knife and fork, you get a real sense of sophistication in the culinary experience,” Grant Harrol, King Charles III’s butler from 2004 to 2011, recently told The Telegraph in Great Britain Britain.
Harrol added that it is “proper etiquette.” eat a hamburger with cutlery – and that this had been the case with his former customers.
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‘The use of a knife and fork was certainly the technique used by members of the monarchy during my time in office at both Buckingham Palace and Highgrove House, and through the numerous high-end clientele I have worked with globally over the years,” he said.
Fox News Digital reached out to Harrol for comment.
A man who served as a butler to King Charles III said the only way to eat a burger is with a fork and knife. (iStock)
While it’s true that someone should consider using cutlery when eating a burger at a fancy event, this isn’t the case for every occasion, California-based etiquette expert Rosalinda Randall told Fox News Digital.
When dining at an important, royal or diplomatic event, a knife and fork will be used for most dishes, she said.
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This also applies to hamburgers, Randall added, noting that “the rule of dining etiquette dictates that if, for example, a simple thin burger is served as one of the coursesa knife and fork are preferred.”
Still, “this won’t be easy to maneuver if the burger is double stacked,” she said.
“It can seem strange and even awkward to use cutlery to eat foods that most people hold in their hands,” says a California etiquette expert. (iStock)
“Once the burger is cut up, it will undoubtedly be dismantled into a sloppy mess.”
Foods such as pizza, tacos and burgers are “generally eaten with our hands and on informal occasions,” she said.
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“Using cutlery to eat food that most people hold in their hands can seem strange and even uncomfortable,” Randall said.
“Cutting out small bites can help you continue a conversation.”
Besides a royal banquet, there are also other occasions where it is considered good etiquette to eat a hamburger with a fork and knife.
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This includes eating meals in gastronomic establishments, but also in practical situations such as during a job interview or on a date.
A job interview or date would be an appropriate time to eat a burger with cutlery, an etiquette expert told Fox News Digital. (iStock)
“Cutting out little bites can help you continue a conversation,” Randall said.
Additionally, someone might want to use cutlery if he or she doesn’t want to leave “sticky goo under the fingernails” or fingerprints on a wine glass.
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Using cutlery also helps a person eat more slowly, she said.
But if someone is not sure what to do when presented with a hamburger over a fancy dinner, there’s a simple way to fix the problem, Randall said.
King Charles III is seen during a state banquet at the Schloss Bellevue presidential palace in March 2023 in Berlin, Germany. (Andreas Rentz/Getty Images)
If the person organizing the event eats a hamburger with a fork and knife, then the guests should do the same, she said.
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“It’s polite to follow their lead,” Randall said.
