Steakhouse's 4,500 calorie challenge smashed - but restaurant refused to pay out

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Dan gobbled up everything except the salad - and so failed the challenge (Image: Kennedy News/Cattlemans Steakhouse)
Dan gobbled up everything except the salad - and so failed the challenge (Image: Kennedy News/Cattlemans Steakhouse)

A no-nonsense steakhouse has been blasted for ruling a man failed its 4,500-calorie mixed grill challenge and missed out on £50 - as he didn't eat the salad.

Cattlemans Steakhouse, in Paignton, Devon, has been wrapped in controversy after posting about customer "salad hating" Dan's impressive attempt to devour the monster meal in under an hour.

Its belly-busting 3.2kg Mega Mixed Grill includes a 20oz rump steak, 12oz of gammon, four sausages, three chicken wings, a chicken breast and a 6oz cheeseburger. The steakhouse's post shows a snap of Dan facing a packed silver platter followed by a second with only the side salad and mushrooms remaining uneaten on Saturday November 25.

Steakhouse's 4,500 calorie challenge smashed - but restaurant refused to pay out eiqrriudiqxtinvThe 4,500-calorie mixed grill includes a 20oz rump steak, 12oz of gammon and a 6oz cheeseburger (Kennedy News/Cattlemans Steakhouse)

Dan can be seen frowning with his thumb down as the caption reads "so close...he didn't tell us he didn't like salad" - while the venue claims he'd announced he hates salad.

Annoyed TikTok users were quick to hail Dan as a winner, with some claiming the steakhouse was "taking the p**s" and the salad "shouldn't be there".

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However some users questioned why Dan couldn't "grow up" and stomach the salad to pocket the £50 prize and avoid paying the hefty sum for failing.

Owner Gary King, who opened the steakhouse seven years ago, has defended his team's decision to deny Dan his prize and charge him by simply declaring "the challenge is to eat everything".

However the restaurant's own most recent breakdown of what the challenge includes fails to mention any salad. He admits he did feel sorry for the stuffed customer but claims he should have asked to swap the salad for more chips or onion rings before the challenge began, but he didn't.

The no-nonsense owner claims the mixed grill's success rate is just 10 per cent despite around 80 people attempting it since it debuted on his menu 10 months ago.

Steakhouse's 4,500 calorie challenge smashed - but restaurant refused to pay outDan is said to have told bosses at Cattlemans Steakhouse in Devon he 'wasn't going to eat the salad' (Kennedy News/Cattlemans Steakhouse)

Gary said: "It's simple. It's a challenge and the challenge is to eat and clear everything, otherwise it wouldn't be a challenge. Had he said to us that he didn't want any salad then we'd have put a few more chips or onion rings on. He didn't say anything at the start or while he was eating it. His exact words were 'I know it's stupid but I'm not going to eat that salad. Not even for £50 because I don't eat salad'.

"I felt sorry when I saw the pictures because if I'd have spoken to him beforehand then he may well have said he didn't want salad. Once it's on that table, that's it. there's no point in telling us afterwards because we're not going to strip the salad off and give him a bowl of chips and a bowl of onion rings, are we?

"We got a hammering for putting a baguette on our 5kg roast dinner but I did it because it's a challenge. A lot of people think that we don't want to complete it, but what we find is that for every person that does complete it ten mates are going to come and try it because they think they can do it."

Gary says the record time for completing the mega mixed grill challenge is 15 minutes and 42 seconds and hopefuls from Asia and America have travelled to attempt it.

The owner believes his steakhouse's hardest challenge is the 5kg roast dinner while the "easiest", with around one in 15 hopefuls completing it, is the burger challenge with two 24oz patties.

His tips for completing food challenges include regularly drinking water, taking breaks around every ten minutes to stretch out, not leaving the chips until last and not rushing.

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The steakhouse's post has been viewed more than half a million times. One commented: "He won for me. Salad is taking the p**s." Another said: "Salad should not be there. Dan is my GOAT [greatest of all time]."

A third added: "Naaa he finished that." Others agreed and said, 'he won it' and 'I think he won to be honest'. However some users lacked sympathy for Dan and believed he should have eaten the salad to win £50.

One said: "What? So you're telling me he munched all of that but when it got the salad he tapped out. Yeah, get a grip."

Adam Wareing

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