The Reason A.1. Sauce May Be Becoming Less Popular
Let's admit it: sauces can make our lives much better by sprucing up our dishes. One of the oldest names in this space is A.1. Sauce, a distinctive name that has established itself in the food industry. As the description on the Kraft Heinz Food Service website reads, "A.1. adds uniquely unforgettable flavor that elevates everything from elegant steaks to flavorful burgers and exciting breakfast items."
The one thing that's undeniable is that A.1. sauce often leaves consumers divided. While some love it, others simply cannot bring themselves to warm up to it. As a Redditor advised another user, "A1 is a fine sauce. It's just tomato, vinegar and raisin, and then the other typical processed sauce stuff like xanthan. If you like it, that's more important than other people being all gatekeepy." Meanwhile, someone was not as convinced and said that there can be other options worth considering. They wrote, "Depending on the cut of meat, a compound butter is also a nice topping for steaks."
Here's a look at why A.1. sauce might be waning in popularity.
A.1. sauce used to be a lot more popular
Most experts in the food space would tell you that A.1. Sauce used to be a lot more popular. Per Thrillist, steak sauces in general are not as sought-after as they used to be. In fact, as a brand, A.1. has been so conscious of this that it decided to switch its name in 2014 from A.1. Steak Sauce to just A.1. Sauce. It's believed that the quality of meat, in general, may have improved over the years, which means that steak sauces are not needed as much.
Michael Ollier, a corporate chef, said, "Before, you were masking something that was inferior, but as people gain a palate for higher-quality beef, they're more hands off and letting the flavors of the beef sing. Or, they're finding more adventurous ways to balance a fatty cut like a ribeye." Additionally, chefs, in general, are not big fans of A.1. Sauce and this is something that most diners are not willing to overlook. An ex-sushi chef explained on Quora, "First of all I love A.1., but you shouldn't use it on a high end steak, just save your money and smother your cheap steak to your heart's content."