In Fort Myers, Florida's Mad Fresh Bistro, the chef banned ketchup for any patron over the age of 10, telling the clientele to trust his seasoning and spicing instead of adding flavor-killing ingredient ketchup to the mix.
Xavier Duclos, the owner of the restaurant, is also the chef that banned ketchup from the Florida restaurant, according to The Huffington Post. The restaurant serves salads, tartines, flatbreads, "plates" and burgers - but it won't even allow patrons to get ketchup for the latter food's.
The restaurant's website actually specifies that their plates are build the way they are for a reason, and asks customers not to ask for substitutes but rather trust the chef's choices. At the end of the menu, the restaurant's website actually reads "Chef reserves the right to refuse service of ketchup to anyone over the age of 10!"
As the owner and chef bans ketchup from his restaurant, not all patrons are satisfied with the decision, claiming that as paying customers they should be able to get the sweet sauce for their meal if they choose to have it.
However, the chef that banned ketchup refuses to bulge; in a statement posted on the restaurant's website, he even told a story explaining that someone had actually sneaked into his kitchen with ketchup and he subsequently kicked him out. Later on, in an interview with Fort Myers' WBBH-TV he said that he had once had a woman pull out Parmesan cheese and ketchup from her purse to add to her meal's flavor - he went up to her, asked her not to do that ... and she never came back to the restaurant.
However, Duclos says that despite the odd situation, his business is blooming; although, evidently, the chef's ban of ketchup and the purity of his recipes are more important than his desire to please customers.
Duclos was born in the United States but raised in France, as well as having had his chef's training in the European country, where the purity of flavors is a highly regarded culinary trait.
