
Duke's
"Hot Tomato Summer"
Tomatoes and Duke's Mayo.
Name a more iconic duo.
These days there are lots of “holidays” that seem ready-built to pad out social content calendars. National Bring Your Squirrel To Work Day, anyone? But in the South, summertime is officially Tomato SZN, as people from Virginia to ‘Bama bust out the mayo and maters and go to town. As THE Mayo of the South, we decided Duke’s should own the season. And so, “Hot Tomato Summer” was born in the Summer of '21.

What is Hot Tomato Summer, exactly?
For starters, it's the worst time to be a tomato. But for local restaurants in some of Duke's key markets, it's like summer camp— if summer camp’s main activity is creating unique mayo and tomato dishes ranging from BLTs to Ice Cream to Beer (yes, really). What began as 12 restaurants participating in a week-long event in Richmond, VA, has grown to six southern cities with 300 participating restaurants over a span of 10 days.
Make it Hotter, Tomatoeyer, and Summeryier
Each year has brought new cities and new ways to get people excited. We have created swaths of merch for restaurants and fans alike. Everything from hats and fanny packs to swimsuits, totes, and LED signs has adorned the aforementioned fans and restaurants. But that was just the start of our innovations.
Venmayo
To encourage engagement during mealtime, we devised a brilliant idea: Let Duke's pay the tab. Whenever Tomato and Mayo lovers posted their lunch pic to socials, the Duke's team would reach out to winners in each market with some cash—a small price to pay for some authentic fandom.
The Golden Tomato Award
There are many awards in the gastronomical world. There's the Michelin Star, the James Beard Award, etc. But we saw a need for an award that captures fandom for local restaurants. Enter the Golden Tomato Award. In 2023, we introduced the award and it has since been a driving force for engagement both in restaurants and online, achieving over 31,000 votes in the first year alone!
HOLY HOTHOUSE, WHAT HAPPENED?
Hot Tomato Summer has grown beyond our wildest dreams. With 300 restaurants participating in 2024—and more and more signing up to serve Duke’s Mayo and Tomato dishes because they don’t want to miss out—it's hard to believe just how far this incredible event has come.
But, when you lean into the love that restaurants and fans have for Duke's, maybe it really isn't all that surprising. With the continued success of Hot Tomato Summer we’re already getting ready to blow it out of the water again next year, but for now, take a look at these hot metrics from 2024:

Earned Coverage:

Registration for Duke's Mayo Hot Tomato Summer is Now Open
Holy City Sinner

Duke’s “Hot Tomato Summer” returns to Charleston
CHS Today

Duke’s Mayo Hot Tomato Summer competition returns in July
Greenville Journal

Richmond Food News: July 11-17
Richmond Magazine

The More the Mayo-er
Style Weekly

Duke';s Hot Tomato Summer is Back for 2024
Richmond.com

Franchise Crumb CBS 6 mini logo Local News Richmond restaurants and Virginia food events you should check out this summer, plus what to order
CBS 6 News

Duke's Hot Tomato Summer
Fox Carolina

Head to over 60 area restaurants for Duke’s Hot Tomato Summer starting July 18
Charleston City Paper

Duke’s “Hot Tomato Summer” is coming to Raleigh
RAL Today

Duke's Hot Tomato Summer Returns This Week
Holy City Sinner

Duke's Hot Tomato Summer
Charlotte's Got A Lot

Duke’s Hot Tomato Summer
CBS 6 News

Duke’s Hot Tomato Summer returns to Richmond
ABC 8 News

Hot Tomato Summer returns to Richmond July 18-28
RIC Today

Mex 1 Coastal Cantina Participating in Duke’s Mayo Hot Tomato Summer
Lucky Dog News

Duke’s Hot Tomato Summer starts in Charlotte
CLT Today

Duke's Hot Tomato Summer is Back in RIchmond
Axios Richmond

Duke Hot Tomato Summer is Back
RVA Hub

Bristol, Va.’s Union 41 competing in Duke’s Mayo challenge
WHJL

Richmond Food News: July 18-24
Richmond Magazine

Duke's Mayo Hot Tomato Summer hits the Upstate
Fox Carolina

Bradbury Bistro competes in Duke's Hot Tomato Summer
Fox Carolina

Duke's Hot Tomato Summer has arrived
Axios Raleigh

Hot Tomato Summer is back
Axios Charlotte

Virginia This Morning
WTVR

Here are the best 6 things to do in Greenville July 25-Aug. 1
The Post and Courier

Duke’s Hot Tomato Summer is Coming to Charleston
Holy City Sinner

Duke’s Hot Tomato Summer returns to local restaurants
GVL Today

How Richmond-based Duke's works to make mayonnaise cool
CBS 6 News

This Summer's For Twang and Tomatoes
GVL Today

Duke’s Mayonnaise teams up with Charleston restaurants for ‘hot tomato summer’
Post and Courier

Indaco taking part in Duke's Mayo's Hot Tomato Summer
Fox Carolina

Richmond Food News: July 20-26
Richmond Magazine

LIST: Duke’s Hot Tomato Summer returns to Richmond – Here’s where to get in on the action
ABC 8

Duke's Hot Tomato Summer Set to Hit Richmond
Richmond.com

Duke’s Mayo ‘Hot-Tomato-Summer’ Starts Today In Charlotte And You Can Try Some Yummy Dishes
K104.7

Restaurants In North & South Carolina ‘Duke’ It Out In Unique Mayo And Tomato Contest
Country 103.7

Tomato girl summer (let me explain)
Axios Charlotte

Who Does the Best with Duke's Mayo and Tomatoes?
Charlotte Observer

I'ts Hot Tomato Summer Week in Richmond
Axios Richmond

Hot Tomato Summer Time
Axios Richmond

Richmond Food News: July 27-Aug. 2
Richmond Magazine