TGI Fridays says its burgers taste better if you eat them upside down. I put this to the test.

TGI Fridays claimed recently that its burgers actually taste better when eaten upside down.

The fast-casual chain said it's because the bun that's usually served on top of the burger patty is thicker. "So, flipping your burger means that there is more bread underneath to absorb the juices and flavours from the burger and toppings as you bite into it," the company said. "It also means that your tongue meets the toppings first and the burger second."

I went to my local TGI Fridays in Leeds, northern England. I ordered the To Vegan and Beyond Burger, which has a plant-based patty, grilled flat cap mushroom, smoked applewood vegan cheese, vegan mayo, and salad.

But it also looked very sticky because of the melted cheese and mayonnaise. I knew this was going to be messy work.

When eating the burger upside down, I found that the sesame seeds on the top bun fell off each time I took a bite.

Another difference was that the cheese and mayo essentially swapped places. The mayo, which was much runnier than the melted cheese, was now above the patty, rather than underneath it. This meant it drizzled down the side of the patty – which may have given a better distribution of mayo with each bite, though I didn't really notice it.

Holding the burger up to take photos meant the mayo kept dripping all over my hands, too.

So in the end, I resorted to my tried and trusted technique: eating my burger with cutlery.

Some of my friends mock me for it, but whenever possible I eat food with a knife and fork, whether it's pizza, a burger, or even a burrito.

Yes, it's not how burgers are meant to be eaten, but if it means that more of the food goes in my mouth and less on the table or down my front then I'll take it.

If the flavor really did change, I didn't notice it.

An important point is that TGI Fridays served the burger the right way round. Maybe if they'd served it upside down to begin with then, as they said, the juices from the patty would have soaked into the top bun more.

At the end of the day, I'm just going to stick to eating my burgers with cutlery whenever possible.