The new Heinz "Dip & Squeeze" holds more ketchup than the smaller traditional squeeze packets. (Heinz)

A much larger Heinz ketchup packet is starting to show up in restaurants across the country. The container, shaped like a traditional Heinz bottle with a peel-back lid, holds three times more ketchup than the previous H. J. Heinz Co. squeeze packets.

The company’s ‘Dip & Squeeze’ design is also true to its name, giving ketchup lovers the option of dunking their french fries instead of trying to squeeze it out, which can be a messy way to eat — especially while on-the-go.

The new packets, which were first announced in 2010, started showing up in Chick-fil-A and International Dairy Queen  restaurants earlier this year. The ketchup company is now “close to signing a deal” with Wendy’s restaurants where the packets are expected to become available in December, said Heinz spokeswoman Jessica Jackson.  McDonald’s and Burger King are testing the packets right now, she added.

Customers can now search for locations offering the packets on Heinz’s website.

The Dip & Squeeze marks the first Heinz Ketchup packet redesign in 42 years, spurred by consumer feedback about the inconvenience of Heinz’s traditional rectangular squeeze pouches.

“We conducted extensive testing to determine that the average consumer uses about three of the traditional Ketchup packets, which led us to determine the size of the new Dip & Squeeze package,” Jackson wrote in an email to ABCNews.com. “We are continuing to work with our customers to test the new package, and have been pleased with consumer excitement that is has created.”

The company started developing the Dip & Squeeze in 2008, Jackson said.

In 2010, the owner of an online food delivery business in Michigan sued Heinz, claiming the company had stolen his idea for the  ”Dip & Squeeze.”

“It would be inappropriate for us to comment on ongoing legal matters, and we continue to believe that this case has no merit,” Jackson wrote in an email to ABCNews.com.

Heinz Ketchup is the nation’s third best-selling condiment, trumped by Hellmann’s mayonnaise and Tostito’s salsa, according to Bloomberg Businessweek.