Got beef?: Pakistani police arrest restaurant staff over refusal to give free burgers

All 19 staff members of the Johnny & Jugnu restaurant were detained for seven hours

Customers were left hungry when restaurant workers were held by police overnight. Victor Besa / The National 

A group of police officers in Pakistan flipped out when a takeaway restaurant refused to hand over free burgers, detaining all 19 staff.

Workers at the trendy chain Johnny & Jugnu in the eastern city of Lahore were rounded up and held for seven hours overnight on Saturday, leaving behind unattended kitchens and hungry customers.

"This is not the first time something like this has happened with our kitchen teams at our restaurant, but we want to make sure this is the last," the fast-food chain said.

The beef started when staff at the restaurant refused a "request from a very high profile special guest".

Restaurant staff told AFP that most of those arrested were young people, including university students.

Following outcry among fans, nine officers involved were suspended, senior provincial police official Inam Ghani said.

"No one is allowed to take the law into his own hands."