IMAGE COURTESY OF HEINZ

When a restaurant doesn’t serve Heinz Ketchup, Pittsburghers see red. (And we’re still bitter about Heinz Field’s name change to Acrisure Stadium.)

As it turns out, most North Americans feel the same way about the sauce Henry John Heinz invented here in the late 1800s.

In a recent survey commissioned by Heinz that polled 1,372 people, 75% said they preferred the iconic brand, but felt helpless when their favorite eateries favored another tomato-based condiment. Many have taken to Reddit to express their dismay.

So, on Wednesday, Nov. 30, the company is helping diners get out of this pickle by launching its Tip for Heinz initiative, calling on yinz guys to show your love for the liquid by leaving a $1 tip on restaurant receipts. It’s a subtle way of telling restaurateurs to get on the “57 varieties” bandwagon. 

Leave a buck on your bill from Nov. 30 through Dec. 21 and post a photo of the check on Instagram with the hashtags #TipforHeinz and #Sweepstakes or submit it on the website when it goes live. Heinz, which is committing $125,000 to the cause, will then reimburse the full gratuity amount (up to $20) and, for a lucky few, the entire meal. 

To further entice the food industry to embrace the brand, Heinz is giving the first 10 restaurants that commit to switching a free year’s supply of ketchup.

“Gone are the days of subjecting delicious food to subpar ketchup,” Jacqueline Chao, senior brand manager for Heinz, said in a press release. “Together with fellow ketchup lovers, we hope to work towards a future where fans can expect the unmistakably delicious taste of Heinz whenever they dine out.”

The company is going big with billboards in New York City and Chicago. 

But the epicenter of the great ketchup debate is the ‘Burgh. We flipped our lids, n’at when Heinz replaced the pickle on its label with a tomato and threw thunderbolts at Kennywood when the amusement park briefly switched to Hunt’s Ketchup. 

Not in this Potato Patch, mister.