Pizza Hut responds after outraged customer says tomato ketchup is 'sexualised'
The squeeze bottle has really upset one Pizza Hut customer
www.mylondon.news
Pizza Hut responds after outraged customer says tomato ketchup is too…
archived 3 Nov 2021 15:41:41 UTC
- BY RORY BENNETT
- 12:39, 2 NOV 2021
An outraged customer has expressed shock at Pizza Hut for “sexualising” their ketchup to the point that he felt “put off” using the sauce.
Adrian Shann, 31, reacted with disgust to the words ‘Shake, Squeeze and Squirt” cartoonishly printed on the condiment bottles.
Mr Shann was left in a state of distress after noticing the wording when at a Pizza Hut in Hull last month.
The £23 meal was Mr Shann’s first in the Pizza chain.
He said: "It's not innocent in my eyes. The barbecue sauce one said 'Squeeze', but the ketchup one said that... it put me off using it.
"It literally sounds like an app for swingers. I do not understand how someone could put that sentence together, it's awful.
"It is because of the chain's marketing aimed at children that I am worried."
Mr Shann said he saw a family joking about the wording, not seeming too bothered by it.
However, he said he believed it wasn’t appropriate to do so: "The adults had a laugh and then the children were asking their parents to tell them about it.
"If I had my niece with me, I would be worried. It's definitely not appropriate."
Mr Shann was so uncomfortable with the words that he made a formal complaint to Pizza Hut and did not initially receive a response.
However, since then, Pizza Hut replied to him via Hull Live and said: "I can only apologise if you were caused any offence or upset on your recent visit to our Hut, please know it is not our intention to make any of our guests feel uncomfortable.
"The wording on our ketchup is not meant to cause offence and sorry if this was interpreted this way.
"This has been the labelling of all ketchup bottles in our restaurants for some time now, and I can only apologise if this impacted the enjoyment of your email."
The angry diner, who was so incensed he contacted his MP about the wording on the bottle, said the food chain’s response was not enough.
"I am not happy with their response,” he said.
He added: "I cannot imagine anyone looking at that sauce as tomato ketchup again.
"It is sexualised and even more so now they didn't deserve my custom.”
