A New Jersey gay couple have won $3.15 million in compensation after being abused and beaten by Burger King staff.

Peter Casbar, 43, and Noel Robichaux, 46, visited the Union City restaurant in 2007 but were met with rudeness from a cashier.

They left the restaurant but were pursued by staff, they said.

Their attorney, James F Fine said in a statement: “The manager and a group of angry restaurant employees chased the couple and then mercilessly kicked, beat and spat upon the two men while screaming hate-filled anti-gay invectives.”

Two Burger King employees, Angel Caraballo and Christopher Soto, have already pleaded guilty to aggravated assault.

Mr Casbar and Mr Robichaux used New Jersey’s Law Against Discrimination to sue Food Service Properties Corp and Union City Restaurant Corp which own seven Burger Kings in Union City.

According to the Jersey Journal, the couple were charged with harassment when police arrived to find them being attacked by Caraballo and Soto. The charges were later dropped.

Last week, a gay waiter at one of London’s Michelin-starred restaurants was awarded £21,500 after colleagues subjected him to anti-gay taunts.

Vincent Ma, 31, who worked at Yauatcha Chinese restaurant in Soho, had his nipples tweaked by a customer and saw two male managers simulating sex in front of him.