'Are You Sure There's No Mayonnaise?': Man Who Set Fire To Spanish Café Over Missing Mayo Gets 3.5 Years in Prison

A man who admitted setting fire to a Spanish café after staff could not provide mayonnaise for his sandwich has been sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison. The blaze forced customers to flee and left the business with thousands of euros in damage.

José Rafael G. M. appeared before the Provincial Court of Seville on 21 October and admitted setting fire to Las Postas Café-Bar in Los Palacios y Villafranca, just south of Seville. Prosecutors had initially sought an 11-year sentence, but reduced the request after Rafael admitted the offence and paid compensation.

Man Returned With Petrol After Mayo Dispute

The incident began on 20 August 2025 when Rafael visited the café with his son and ordered sandwiches. Staff told him they did not have mayonnaise or ketchup, prompting him to leave and walk to a nearby petrol station.

He soon returned carrying a 1.5-litre bottle of petrol. According to café owner José Antonio Caballero, Rafael approached the bar and asked a waiter: 'Are you sure there's no mayonnaise?' He then poured the petrol across the bar and set it alight.

Caballero described the incident as 'something surreal', explaining that the café did not have a kitchen and served ready-prepared sandwiches without sauces.

CCTV footage captured the moment the flames erupted, sending customers and staff scrambling for safety. Young children and elderly people were among those inside, while two workers suffered minor injuries.

The footage also showed Rafael accidentally setting his own left hand on fire before attempting to extinguish the flames with his right hand. He then left the building and was arrested near the scene before being remanded in custody.

A quick-thinking member of staff managed to contain the fire with a fire extinguisher, preventing the blaze from causing further harm. Caballero said the café was left with damage expected to cost between €7,000 ($8,000/£6,000) and €10,000 ($11,000/£7,500) to repair.

Three-And-A-Half-Year Prison Sentence

According to the Spanish news agency EFE, Rafael had already spent more than a year in provisional custody following his arrest. The court also imposed a 10-year ban preventing him from coming within 500 metres of the café, as well as €360 ($401/£301) in fines relating to the injuries suffered by the two workers.

Rafael admitted the offence and deposited €9,245 ($10,308/£7,731) towards the cost of repairing the damage. The payment was accepted as a mitigating circumstance and contributed to the reduction of the sentence from the prosecution's original request.

Hellmann's Offered To Help Repair the Café

The unusual case later caught the attention of mayonnaise brand Hellmann's, which offered to help cover the cost of repairing the damaged café. 'Cafetería Las Postas: We're sorry we weren't there,' the company wrote in an Instagram post.

'From now on, you can count on us. Let us take care of the repairs and make sure your sandwiches never run out of mayonnaise again,' Hellmann's added. The café responded by thanking the brand for its support, writing: 'Thank you so much @hellmanns_spain! It's a pleasure to receive your help!'

The offer came weeks after the fire and provided an unexpected twist to an incident that began with a dispute over a missing sandwich condiment.