Angry drinkers are threatening to boycott JD Wetherspoon pubs when lockdown restrictions are relaxed in response to its owner's remarks to staff at the start of the pandemic.
Boss Tim Martin allegedly advised some of the pub chain's 43,000 employees they should get jobs at a supermarket because they would not be paid until the government furlough scheme commenced.
He eventually had a change of heart after widespread criticism, reports the Independent.
Mr Martin also sparked outrage when he threatened to keep all of his pubs open during the early stages of lockdown when coronavirus infections were at their highest.
Some former customers are now planning to avoid the chain's outlets when they reopen again from July 4 in England. Bars in Northern Ireland have been given the go-ahead from July 20, but governments across the other home nations have yet to confirm when pubs will reopen again.
Revenge-seeking customers claim the threatened boycott is in response to Mr Martin's 'appalling handling' of the pandemic and has no connection to his well-publicised anti-EU views.
The Twitter hashtag #neverspoons has been circulated in support of the protest.
Not all customers support the boycott, claiming it will hit staff hardest.
Political commentator Owen Jones tweeted: "There's a lot of talk about boycotting Wetherspoons online. Their workers are specifically asking us NOT to do that. We should take their lead on this: don't call for a boycott in their name."
Meanwhile, other customers have tweeted that they cannot wait for their local drinking hole to reopen again.
