Customer Arrested After Setting Café-Bar on Fire Over Mayonnaise
SPAIN – A café-bar in Los Palacios y Villafranca became the center of a bizarre and dangerous incident on the night of August 20, 2025, when an angry customer set the establishment on fire after being told there was no mayonnaise available.
According to reports, the customer—believed to be in his 50s—entered the café-bar with his son and ordered two sandwiches. Surveillance footage showed him asking a waiter for mayonnaise, only to be told that the condiment had run out. He asked another staff member but received the same answer.
Frustrated, the man left the café-bar and went to a nearby gas station. When he returned, he was carrying a 1.5-liter bottle of petrol. Local media reported that he once again asked the staff if they were sure there was no mayonnaise, which he claimed was his favorite sauce. After being told “no” once more, he poured the flammable liquid across the café-bar floor and set it on fire.
The café-bar was full of customers at the time, including children and elderly guests. Panic broke out as people rushed outside to escape the flames. Even the mayonnaise-loving customer fled after the fire quickly spread. Staff members acted quickly, using fire extinguishers to control the blaze before it could cause serious injuries.
The man was later arrested by police, though he suffered burns on his left hand after accidentally coming into contact with the flames. He now faces multiple charges related to the incident.
The café-bar’s owner, Jose Antonio Caballero, described the experience as “surreal,” saying he could not believe someone would attempt to burn down a business over a missing condiment. He explained that the bar did not have a kitchen and served ready-made sandwiches, which is why mayonnaise was not available.
Thankfully, no customers were hurt, but the fire caused an estimated $9,500 (₱540,000) in damages. Caballero expressed his frustration and disappointment, stressing that risking lives and disrupting a community over something as trivial as mayonnaise was unacceptable.