Professional eater James Webb gets into tense argument with workers at a Compton Burgers in Perth

A bitter dispute over a cup of coffee pits an Australian burger joint against a competitive eating champion.

James Webb, is ranked 5th in the world for his ability to digest a variety of foods, including in May when he ate 15 double and triple burgers with fries, a thick shake and two Cokes in just 20 minutes.

He is also known for gobbling down 59 donuts in just eight minutes.

Footage circulating on TikTok shows him tense with the owner of Compton Burgers in Perth, a favorite hangout for rappers and rock stars like Jack Harlow and UB40.

Webb, 34, who posts videos of food challenges online, ripped into Compton Burgers in a four-and-a-half minute diatribe.

The Sydneysider said Compton Burgers wanted to do something while he was in Perth for another donut eating test but couldn’t because his trip was “fully booked”.

But purely by chance, Compton Burgers was close to the gym where he had just trained, so Webb headed there for his usual large almond latte order.

“This guy clearly recognized me and then told me, ‘You missed, it’s your loss, we would have made you viral, we would have made you famous, we have the best food in the country,'” Webb told his millions of followers.

He said Compton Burgers owner Michael Theo didn’t give him the correct order — gave him a cappuccino instead — and that he didn’t close the lid properly.

So when he raised it to his lips to take a sip, the coffee spilled all over his top, pants and sneakers, he said.

Webb returned the coffee to Mr. Theo and left the eatery, he claimed.

But once outside the store, he was pulled back to the service window and filmed himself in a shouting match claiming she was being “abused.”

“You don’t get called names… nonsense,” Theo bellowed as his father John tried to calm the situation down.

From behind the glass wall, Michael, who hadn’t been calmed by his father’s attempt to intervene, shouted lines like “Tough guy,” “Why are you like this?” and “I’m tired of these people.”

Webb ended his video by addressing Michael and saying, “I don’t know what your damage is, but come on man, that’s not cool.”

On his TikTok site, Webb wrote, “Like I said, I’m lucky to have a platform where I can showcase great businesses and great food.

“Occasionally, however, I will use my platform to recommend locations that are NOT to visit.”

However, there are two sides to every story, and the Theos have a different take on what happened, saying that Webb’s video had upset them and that he was rude.

“Yeah, I lost it mate, he was so rude. I was nice to the guy, just trying to have a friendly conversation,” Michael said news.com.au.

His father, who is almost 70, said: ‘I’m an old fellow, and what I saw wasn’t right. I’ve been in the business all my life and I saw he came in with malicious intent – ​​he came in with a video in his hand. Where is the world going?’

There are also ramifications beyond the video chatter, as Compton Burgers has been flooded with bad reviews since Webb’s post.

A poster on Google wrote, “Haven’t eaten here, but guys, you guys are in trouble, heaps of people have subscribed to Jwebby (James Webb), and you need to make up for your mistakes or your business will suffer.” .

“Canceling culture will shut you down. There won’t be a fight. Your customer base is all looking at Google reviews, so get on top of this before it becomes a real problem.”

But others jumped to the defense of the Perth institution with five-star reviews.

“It’s a shame to see the reviews being overshadowed by an influencer – I’ve been here before and the food is fantastic and the staff are great,” one wrote.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Compton Burgers and James Webb for further comment.