HELLMANN’S has stepped in to cover the cost of repairing a Spanish café set ablaze by an angry customer who couldn’t get mayonnaise with his sandwich.
The mayo giant pledged to foot the bill after the shocking arson attack at Cafetería Las Postas near Seville, Spain, last month.
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A Hellmann’s spokesperson said: “Cafetería Las Postas, we’re sorry we weren’t there. From now on, you can count on us.”
The brand promised to restore the premises and ensure the condiment will never be missing from its shelves again, Euro Weekly News reported.
Owner José Antonio Caballero called the incident completely “surreal” and said there was “no explanation for what he did.”
He explained: “First one waiter and then another the second time this gentleman asked for mayonnaise gave him the same answer which was that the bar didn’t have a kitchen and the sandwiches came ready-prepared and we didn’t have sauces.
“At that moment he walked to the garage opposite, returned to the bar with a bottle in his hand which we discovered afterwards had petrol inside, and asked the first waiter: ‘Are you sure there’s no mayonnaise?’ without giving him time to reply.
“There’s no explanation for what happened. It was awful.”
Horrifying CCTV shows the suspect storming inside, splashing fuel over the counter, and setting it alight with a lighter.
As flames shot towards the ceiling, terrified customers – including children as young as four – scrambled to safety while staff fought the blaze with an extinguisher.
Caballero said the fire left damage of up to £7,000 but praised “quick-thinking workers” for stopping it spreading.
He added: “The important thing is that nobody was injured. There were young children and elderly people around. Imagine if someone had been hurt.”
The 50-year-old suspect was arrested within minutes in a nearby square after burning his hand.
Police said he was taken to a health centre under guard and is due in court.
Investigators are probing why he started the blaze, with reports suggesting he was with two others at the time.
The mayo-fuelled attack has since divided opinion online after Hellmann’s public response.
Some hailed the move as clever marketing, while others blasted it as insensitive.
One local fumed: “Hellmann’s, it’s a little in bad taste, no? Will you get noticed? Yes. But at what cost? I don’t think a brand like yours needs to do this.”
Another said: “What happened is not a joke.”
A third remarked: “Taking advantage of someone’s misfortune to do marketing.”
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