Illinois City Gets Ketchup-Dispensing Billboards, Causing Controversy

Did you ever really feel the need for to-go ketchup for your meal and never have it? There's a billboard for that.

It wasn't an April Fools' joke. According to NBC Chicago, Heinz has put up "smackable" ketchup-dispensing billboards near Chicago hot dog stands and as you can imagine, this is a bold move.

They put the billboards outside of restaurants that are notorious for not having ketchup since it's not part of the traditional Chicago hot dog. It can feature everything from relish and mustard to tomatoes, onions, and pickles, but it most certainly cannot include ketchup.

Heinz is taking on that challenge. For now, it has ketchup-dispensing billboards outside of The Wiener Circle and "a fast food chain known for not serving Heinz on Navy Pier". You smack the billboard and Heinz ketchup packets fall out.

A Heinz spokesperson told the news outlet:

Heinz knows Chicago has a complicated relationship with ketchup… However, nearly four out of five people (88%) prefer Heinz Ketchup when eating out, so for many Chicagoans, nothing is more frustrating than being stuck at a restaurant without it

And Heinz isn't slowing down their attempted takeover anytime soon. If you find a Chicago restaurant that doesn't have ketchup, you can report it to Heinz as needing a "smackable" billboard. Not only that but some billboards will have a QR code where ketchup fans can "redeem a personal stash of Heinz Ketchup to keep on-hand for the next time they dine there".

It seems like Heinz is daring to go where no ketchup has dared to go before: Chicago.