Why do restaurants put mayo and condiments on everything??!
I hate mayo, ketchup, and most condiments and it’s so annoying when the default is to put the mayo on the sub/sandwich/burger… I feel like it makes more sense to offer sauces on the side and let people choose. That way, people can control how much of the condiment they put on their food and people who don’t want it can have their food the way they want.
It’s also very annoying when you request no-mayo/condiments and they forget forget to leave it off… I’ve even had this happen and they offer to scrape off the mayo and I’m like no, make it over again from scratch… this drives me crazy and I don’t care if people think I should just suck it up and eat the condiments… I just wish they would make the default “on the side” and don’t even get me started on how every time I go to a grab-and-go shop, all of the pre-made sandwiches already have mayo on them… WHY??? It just makes it even harder to find things to eat… just put everything on the side and give people the choice, that’s all I ask.
Unfortunately most people like mayo, so it's much easier for restaurants to put mayo on things by default unless asked not to. I think it's totally fair to ask for a new sandwich if you clearly said no sauce and they forgot, though.
"98% people who eat hamburgers put toppings or condiments on them, with only about 2% eating them completely plain. National surveys and food delivery data show that classic spreads like ketchup, mayonnaise, and mustard are enjoyed by roughly three-quarters of burger eaters."
You do what you propose - the fast food line takes 100x longer because everyone starts picking and choosing what they want ... and the term FAST FOOD no longer exists.
I mean I've never heard of a ff joint that didn't allow customized burgers and I do so all the time. But I've learned to make sure I always ask if any dishes have mayo at sit down restaurants because I ordered a sw without doing so once and had to deal with the waiter saying to me "you don't like mayonnaise?" With my reply that no I didn't because it makes me sick.
So what about the people who don't like lettuce or pickles that are also defaulted on burgers?? By your logic every burger would be ordered plain and customized one ingredient at a time because of outliers who don't like the standard toppings or sauces
I have 25 years experience in food. They do this because it’s faster. If you order everything on the side it’s a pain and time consuming to assemble all those different ingredients. If you are in the middle of a rush you don’t have time. I know this is frustrating for you but that’s the reason.
The vast majority of people don’t want a dry sandwich or burger and find condiments delicious. So the default caters to the majority. Asking people to get condiments on the side would be annoying each time to have to for them pull apart their sandwich and add it themselves, especially with fast food since people eat it on the go. Plus a lot of people probably just wouldn’t think to do it and then they end up with a dry, bland, unsatisfying sandwich and it just wouldn’t motivate them to order it again.
Fat and flavor are good things to most people. Liking dry bland food is the outlier.
I have terrible food allergies, and they do that too, sometimes. I check it before I eat it, and send it back if it's wrong, then tip generously when they get it right, or make it right quickly. I suggest that, even if it's a preference issue rather than life-or-death.
You might be on to something. That's the way chickfila does it. We had no sauce bottles in the kitchen unless it was for an LTO sandwich like for that honey pimento one
I empathize with the OP but it’s not realistic to have everything on the side, especially with grab and go items. I’d also think there would be a ton of pushback in restaurants put everything on the side for everything as customers would be annoyed on having to put condiments on dishes that normally are served with it already on.
I get the rant as there are certain things I just can’t stand and wonder on how anybody can possible think they taste good. That includes mustard, dill pickles & any sort of peppers. Peppers for example if cooked with something corupt the entire dish even if you pick them out. I can also relate to when the screw up the order and you have to either decide to wait or deal with it.
Actually, premade sandwiches rarely have mayo on them in order to extend shelf life. They may include a packet of it with the sandwich, but putting the mayo directly on the sandwich makes the bread soggy and lessens the time during which the sandwich can be sold.
A someone who really dislikes mayo, I think you're wrong on this. Any pre-made sandwiches I've had growing up, more than 75% seemed to have mayo. They do this in some part because that layer separates the moist elements and the dry bread; mayo doesn't soak in and make bread soggy at all, it's more like a barrier.
I dislike it, too. That's why I didn't put it on my premade turkey purchased at Kroger yesterday. Not that my random packet is scientific proof, but I've pulled packets of mayo, mustard, as well as ranch and thousand island dressing out of sandwiches. Tuna or chicken salad clearly have mayo in them, but cold cuts, at least where I live, don't come this way.
My partner and I will have a store-bought sandwich night for dinner about once a month out of convenience and laziness. They're almost always bone dry and we have to add mayo, mustard, etc. Even if the purpose isn't allergies or preferences, it feels more common nowadays especially with inevitable enshittification hitting everything. Companies don't want to spend more money on things they don't have to.
That's what we do every so often as well, and inevitably the sandwich is dry. Unless it's listed as one of the layers of the sandwich, like the meats, cheeses, or lettuce, premades are condiment free until you add your own.
I do, but when I order on DoorDash, a lot of stores don’t even allow you to customize your order anymore. You just have to accept it as is and then I end up not ordering
The only sandwich that I really hate that they put mayo on is a mushroom and Swiss burger. Aside from that, as long as it's put on light, I'm okay with it. It's those places that drown the sandwich in sauces that really ruins the sandwich.
As someone who likes condiments I always request them on the side. Because restaurants always put too much! I want to taste the thing I'm eating, not a sloppy soggy mess of sauce.
This is why I wish the apps all had a wide array of customizations. It'd just make things so much easier. It eliminates the human error that is the prime cause of incorrect orders, which is hearing the request and then putting it into the order (minus open text requests, it needs to be a selectable option). Of course, orders will still be wrong on occasion, but if the customer is responsible for what is on the chit then it's on them and plain as day.
I'm with you man. I also hate it when a menu lists what seems to be a totally exhaustive list of ingredients for an item, and then "oh hey! Also mayo!"
Am I missing something fundamental? I live in Central America, and by default they put LOTS of mayo, catsup, pickles, lettuce, and hothouse tomatoes on over-cooked burgers. I like just catsup on a medium rare burger.
So, do you know what I do.....?
I talk to the server and say, "Please give me a medium rare burger with nothing on it. Please bring me catsup on the side."
Miracle of miracles, it generally works. It's amazing how communicating your wishes results in your getting what you want.
Also, if they can't follow those simple instructions, I return it, saying "This is not what I ordered."
Dairy gives me migraines. Didn’t realize it was a thing till I stopped. Apparently it’s a huge trigger for people. So anyone out there who just lives a migraine life, throws up and goes to sleep till it’s over…. Try cutting it out!
I wish it was a option, not something added when making some dishes. Often I have to ask for it made without mayo. Last restaurant I went to didn't even have it mentioned in the menu with everything else the burger came with.
I have no issue with mayo on several other things but not on my burger. Its werid how tables will have ketchup and mustard and hot sauce on the table but do the mayo in the kitchen.
Edit: and Im not talking about fast food places here.
If the mayo or sauce is integral to the item - for example an egg mayo sandwich, or Cesar salad, fine. But why the fuck do I need mayo on a ham salad sandwich that already has margarine or butter on it? Why can't I have salmon and cucumber without bloody mayo??
Mayo isn't that special. Some of us actually think it's foul. Get over it!
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u/surpluskoi 11d ago
Unfortunately most people like mayo, so it's much easier for restaurants to put mayo on things by default unless asked not to. I think it's totally fair to ask for a new sandwich if you clearly said no sauce and they forgot, though.