Many unique combinations of creamy and tangy ingredients can provide a standout sauce for any operator. In its simplest form, fry sauce is just a combination of ketchup and mayonnaise. Other versions add pickle juice, lemon juice, or vinegar for added tang. Still others add garlic powder or other spices to make a unique take on this old Midwestern classic.
Whatever version is served, more customers are trying and loving this dip for fries — its traditional purpose, as the name implies — or a number of other fried foods.
Believed to be invented by a Utah burger chain operator in the 1950s, fry sauce outside of Utah has as many different names as it does variations, including Russian dressing and hamburger sauce or even “salsa golf” — the term used in Argentina.
Market research firm Datassential reports that fry sauce is found on 0.8% of U.S. menus, up 29% over the past four years.
Click through the gallery for more information on this Flavor of the Week and see how one restaurant is using fry sauce on its menu.