# Why Don't Restaurants Put the Mayo ON the Hamburger? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 1, 2012, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-restaurants-put-the-mayo-on-the-hamburger/623821 "2012-06-01T23:56:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2012, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-restaurants-put-the-mayo-on-the-hamburger/623821/41 "2012-06-03T01:28:46Z")
The burger I had for lunch this noontime had pepperjack cheese, relish, a touch of BBQ sauce, shredded lettuce and sliced tomato on it. They brought a cup of mayo to the table, but we used it to dip our steak fries. Why? Pretty much what **ES-HT** said. No accounting for taste. If I am making a burger at home on the grill, it will have pretty much the same thing on it. No mustard, no ketchup. BTW, default hot dogs come with mustard, relish and onions, preferably from those big-ass cranky dispenser things at a ball park. To me, a BLT demands mayo. Not Miracle Whip, although we use it for other things so I’m not against it generally. The mayo balances the tomato and allows it to play well with the lettuce. ---
**Author:** ![Lacunae\_Matata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lacunae\_Matata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lacunae_Matata)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2012, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-restaurants-put-the-mayo-on-the-hamburger/623821/42 "2012-06-03T02:06:07Z")
> [@saje](#): > > [Not so sure about that…](http://www.amazon.com/Hellmanns-Mayonnaise-22-Ounce-Squeeze-Bottle/dp/B002DMOXTC?tag=duckduckgo-d-20) You realize, of course, that food vendors typically buy in bulk? Gallons of mayo, 56 oz. vats of ballpark mustard, #10 cans of catsup. Not quarts and little squeeze bottles. It’s quite easy and not very labor intensive/time consuming to refill your own bottles with something runny like catsup, but less so for thicker stuff like mayonnaise. ---
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2012, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-restaurants-put-the-mayo-on-the-hamburger/623821/43 "2012-06-03T02:41:02Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > The burger I had for lunch this noontime had pepperjack cheese, relish, a touch of BBQ sauce, shredded lettuce and sliced tomato on it. They brought a cup of mayo to the table, but we used it to dip our steak fries. Why? Pretty much what **ES-HT** said. No accounting for taste. If I am making a burger at home on the grill, it will have pretty much the same thing on it. No mustard, no ketchup. > > BTW, default hot dogs come with mustard, relish and onions, preferably from those big-ass cranky dispenser things at a ball park. > > To me, a BLT demands mayo. Not Miracle Whip, although we use it for other things so I’m not against it generally. The mayo balances the tomato and allows it to play well with the lettuce. I go along with what I believe Alton Brown said about burgers. No tomato, lettuce, and certainly not relish. Relish?? If I want a salad, I’ll have a salad (this was the Alton Brown part). But like you, my BLT must have mayo, and I love the stuff on fries. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2012, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-restaurants-put-the-mayo-on-the-hamburger/623821/44 "2012-06-03T03:01:35Z")
> [@Fiddle\_Peghead](#): > > Rather than create such a recipe, it might be easier for such theoretical person to simply ripoff Thousand Island Dressing and use that on his new burger. **zombywoof** is refering to a Big Mac. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2012, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-restaurants-put-the-mayo-on-the-hamburger/623821/45 "2012-06-03T06:37:34Z")
> [@Fiddle\_Peghead](#): > > Rather than create such a recipe, it might be easier for such theoretical person to simply ripoff Thousand Island Dressing and use that on his new burger. And thanks to you Dopers, I thought I could make my own Thousand Island chicken by mixing up mayo and ketchup. It was nasty–and I think putting ketchup and mayo on a hamburger is the food of the gods. Thousand Island is definitely NOT just standard ketchup and Kraft mayo. Also, any of you who don’t like mayo, have you tried the one at Sonic, which includes milk? Mixed with their onions, it is absolutely divine. ---
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2012, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-restaurants-put-the-mayo-on-the-hamburger/623821/46 "2012-06-03T11:25:22Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > **zombywoof** is refering to a Big Mac. Um, yeah. I know. I too was joking… ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2012, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-restaurants-put-the-mayo-on-the-hamburger/623821/47 "2012-06-03T13:44:01Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > Geez. Most folks would complain if they weren’t given a choice, but to complain about being given one? I didn’t seem to me that the OP was complaining, just inquiring. Interesting how a “why?” question is often interpreted as a complaint. That’s the sort of thing that discourages people from asking “why” and slows down the expansion and sharing of knowledge in the world. - \\* ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2012, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-restaurants-put-the-mayo-on-the-hamburger/623821/48 "2012-06-03T13:48:24Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > Homemade mayonnaise used to be very dangerous if it got warm and sat out, so it’s kind of one of those cultural things that you don’t let mayonnaise get warm or people will get sick. I believe this is more legendary than factual. I once read a newspaper article that asserted that mayonnaise rarely went bad from not being refrigerated for a few hours, or even a few days. People who get sick from mayonnaisy things like chicken salad or potato salad were actually more likely to get cross-contamination from uncooked chicken than from warm mayonnaise. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2012, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-restaurants-put-the-mayo-on-the-hamburger/623821/49 "2012-06-03T14:15:36Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Mayo is fatty, and so many people who are watching their diet want to be able to exercise portion control with regards to it. By comparison, mustard is very nearly non-caloric, and ketchup, while being caloric, is nonfat, and therefore does not have a reputation for being caloric. If you’re eating a burger, worrying about the calories from a smear of mayo is asinine. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2012, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-restaurants-put-the-mayo-on-the-hamburger/623821/50 "2012-06-03T15:18:19Z")
> [@Fiddle\_Peghead](#): > > Rather than create such a recipe, it might be easier for such theoretical person to simply ripoff Thousand Island Dressing and use that on his new burger. In any case, proper Thousand Island dressing is made with chili sauce, not ketchup. > [@Fiddle\_Peghead](#): > > I go along with what I believe Alton Brown said about burgers. No tomato, lettuce, and certainly not relish. Relish?? If I want a salad, I’ll have a salad (this was the Alton Brown part). But like you, my BLT must have mayo, and I love the stuff on fries. And turkey sandwiches (especially the kind made with leftover Thanksgiving turkey). The sandwich is just too dry without it, and the flavor works so well with cold turkey. > [@Acsenray](#): > > I believe this is more legendary than factual. I once read a newspaper article that asserted that mayonnaise rarely went bad from not being refrigerated for a few hours, or even a few days. People who get sick from mayonnaisy things like chicken salad or potato salad were actually more likely to get cross-contamination from uncooked chicken than from warm mayonnaise. As already mentioned, one of the main ingredients of mayo is vinegar (and/or lemon juice), which is obviously very acidic. And high-acid foods provide a poor environment for bacterial growth. This is the same reason ketchup and mustard don’t need to be refrigerated. While mayo should be refrigerated, it’s not going to “go bad” very quickly, especially if it was made with pasteurized eggs. One problem with mayo, though, is that unlike ketchup and mustard, it changes in consistency and flavor (both for the worse). It’s also worth noting that the mayo we use in restaurants is a bit different from the stuff you get at the grocery store. It’s “heavy duty” mayo - it has a thicker, stiffer consistency to it that makes it hold up better in a container on the cold table. And it comes in 25-pound buckets, or sometimes … in a plastic bag inside a cardboard box, and the bag is simply “sealed” with a twist-tie or one of those plastic things bread bags as closed with, so not perfectly airtight. And delivered unrefrigerated. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2012, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-restaurants-put-the-mayo-on-the-hamburger/623821/51 "2012-06-04T03:23:42Z")
> [@](#): > > If you’re eating a burger, worrying about the calories from a smear of mayo is asinine. Agreed. But that doesn’t change the fact that a lot of people are, in fact, asinine enough to worry about it. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2012, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-restaurants-put-the-mayo-on-the-hamburger/623821/52 "2012-06-04T03:55:31Z")
> [@Mister\_Rik](#): > > One problem with mayo, though, is that unlike ketchup and mustard, it changes in consistency and flavor (both for the worse). I just noticed that I didn’t finish that sentence. It should have continued: “… when left unrefrigerated and exposed to the air for prolonged periods.” ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2012, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-restaurants-put-the-mayo-on-the-hamburger/623821/53 "2012-06-04T09:16:10Z")
Anecdotally, I’ve noticed a tendency for mayo to start emulsing after a few minutes when it’s sitting on a hot burger or a pile of hot fries. Considering that burgers and whatnot may sit under a heat lamp for a while before being served, it would make more sense to throw a serving of cool mayo on the side just before the burger hits the table than to let it turn into a runny pile of curd and lemon juice. (This rule does NOT apply to Mickey D’s mayo - God only knows what kind of shit they put in there to keep the mayo solid while your Big Mac lingers in the serving bin, waiting for you to walk in the door.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-restaurants-put-the-mayo-on-the-hamburger/623821.md?page=2)