No Ketchup For You at Florida Restaurant
This chef thinks the 'sweet' condiment 'doesn't do anything for anything.'
— -- Don’t even think about asking for your favorite condiment at Mad Fresh Bistro in Fort Myers, Florida, if that condiment happens to be ketchup. There’s a strict no-ketchup policy instituted by chef Xavier Duclos, and the Internet is not pleased.
“We know, we know. People love their ketsup [sic],” the policy reads. “We simply ask that you trust us. We know what we’re doing! Part of the MAD experience is to trust the chef, and not have preconceived notions of what your dish is going to need.”
Duclos told ABC News the policy existed because all his food is specially prepared to be served as is and not need any flavor adjustments.
“It’s not so much a refusal to serve ketchup, but I don’t serve ketchup because I don’t have to. It’s just sweet! It doesn’t do anything for anything,” Duclos explained of his ketchup aversion. “My burgers don’t need it. I have a sauce on every one of my burgers and ketchup would not go with it.”
One example of Duclos’ master creations is a Parisian burger with bacon, brie, caramelized onions – and a tarragon aioli. The Spaniard version has Manchego cheese, Serrano ham and a roasted red pepper aioli.
“When I developed these burgers two years ago, I wanted to do something that nobody else did. I’m in between an Outback and a Carrabba’s, and I don’t want to compete with them,” Duclos explained. “We use high-quality beef, very good buns, very good sauce, watercress instead of plain old lettuce, and it’s conducive to a really good, juicy burger.”
Duclos claimed many agree, and before national news outlets discovered the policy, almost no one had complained.
“I’ve had a couple people question it, and I say, ‘You know what, just try it,’” Duclos said. “And every time someone’s tried it, I’ve never had them say they don’t like it. People who know me come to the restaurant for many other things besides burgers. What we make is good, so they keep coming.”
While he mainly receives support, people have taken to posting on the restaurant’s Facebook page, despite never having been to the restaurant.
“This elitist food nazi won’t allow you to have that [ketchup] on your fries because he knows what you want and what flavors work for you better than you do,” one man sarcastically wrote.
“It’s ridiculous,” Duclos said in defense of people thinking they know better. “If you go buy a BMW, you don’t ask them to put Chevy parts on it. If you want that burger with ketchup, you can go to a restaurant with a plain burger and put whatever condiments you want on it, and there are people who do that, but that’s not what I do. I encourage people to try different things once in a while.”
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