My local burger joint's 'secret sauce' was just watered-down ketchup

I was at a place called Big Al's Burger Barn in Springfield last Friday, super excited to try their famous 'Al's Special Sauce' everyone online raves about. I ordered the deluxe double cheeseburger, paid $14.50, and took a huge bite expecting something amazing. It tasted... weirdly familiar and thin. I actually opened the burger up and dipped my finger in the sauce to taste it alone. I swear on my life, it was just regular ketchup that someone had clearly added water or maybe vinegar to, to make it runnier and look like more. The whole experience was such a letdown, especially for the price. It completely changed how I view those 'house special' sauces now. I'm always suspicious. Has anyone else had a fast food 'secret' ingredient turn out to be something totally basic and cheap?

3 comments

3 Comments

piper_smith17d ago

Wait, are you sure it was just water? Sometimes places add pickle juice to ketchup for a tangy burger sauce... it can taste thin and weird if you're not expecting it.

black.pat17d ago

Ugh, that reminds me of the "fancy aioli" I got that was just mayo with garlic powder.

king.derek16d ago

Aioli is supposed to be an emulsion of garlic and oil, not mayo. Real aioli doesn't even have egg yolks. Calling garlic mayo "aioli" is just a lazy way for restaurants to charge more.