National Tartar Sauce Day2026 · Date · History · Messages
Frisch’s launch material designated the first Friday of Lent as National Tartar Sauce Day, making the Gregorian date move with Ash Wednesday/Lent.
About National Tartar Sauce Day
National Tartar Sauce Day is observed on the Friday after Lent begins, so its calendar date changes from year to year.
Frisch’s Big Boy founded the observance in 2017 with National Day Calendar registration.
Why National Tartar Sauce Day matters
The day is a food-brand-created observance centered on tartar sauce and Frisch’s long association with the condiment.
Its recurring position near the start of Lent reflects the strong association between tartar sauce and fish meals during that season.
History of National Tartar Sauce Day
On February 28, 2017, Frisch’s announced that the first Friday of Lent—March 3 that year—had been declared National Tartar Sauce Day by Frisch’s and National Day Calendar.
The same launch release explicitly described 2017 activities as the first-year celebration.
Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley also proclaimed March 3, 2017 as Frisch’s Tartar Sauce Day in the city.
National Day Calendar’s founder record identifies Frisch’s Big Boy as the 2017 founder and keeps the annual rule as the Friday after Lent begins.
How the observance developed
This timeline uses documented milestones from reviewed sources. Missing stages are left out rather than guessed.
Frisch’s Big Boy Restaurants
Frisch’s own 2017 launch release says tartar sauce was getting a named day thanks to Frisch’s Big Boy Restaurants, and National Day Calendar lists Frisch’s as founder.
Frisch’s Big Boy and National Day Calendar Registrar
2017 National Day Calendar proclamation/registration and Frisch’s launch announcement
First documented observance
Frisch’s launch release calls the March 3 activities the first-year celebration.
Locally proclaimed March 3, 2017 as Frisch’s Tartar Sauce Day in Cincinnati during the first-year celebration.
City of Cincinnati / Mayor John Cranley · Local proclamation of Frisch’s Tartar Sauce Day
Frisch’s Big Boy, with National Day Calendar maintaining the registered observance
Frisch’s continues to publish National Tartar Sauce Day material and National Day Calendar maintains the annual listing.
What the evidence establishes
Confirmed institutional roles and milestones are shown first. Details that could not be established from the reviewed sources are listed separately below.
2 fields not established in reviewed sources
Later institutional actions
Later recognition, renaming, mergers or date changes are kept separate from original establishment.
How to Observe National Tartar Sauce Day
Try tartar sauce with a meal where it fits your diet and preferences.
Compare a homemade tartar sauce recipe with a commercial version.
Learn about how sauces and condiments vary across regional food traditions.
If observing Lent, choose meals according to your own religious practice rather than treating a commercial observance as religious guidance.
National Tartar Sauce Day Facts
National Tartar Sauce Day is the Friday after Lent begins.
Frisch’s Big Boy founded the observance in 2017.
The first celebration was March 3, 2017.
National Day Calendar registered the annual recurrence.
Cincinnati issued a local proclamation for the first-year celebration.
National Tartar Sauce Day Messages
Happy National Tartar Sauce Day — enjoy a favorite recipe or try a new twist.
Here’s to a tangy Friday after Lent begins. Happy National Tartar Sauce Day!
Celebrate National Tartar Sauce Day with a meal, a recipe experiment or a little food history.
Happy National Tartar Sauce Day — a small condiment with a surprisingly well-documented holiday history.
Topic and context
What this page does not assume
- Keep the source-defined country, community, organizer or institutional scope; do not silently broaden it.
- Do not treat the title alone as proof of government recognition or public-holiday status.
- Do not add a creator, founding story or origin claim unless the supporting evidence establishes it.
Evidence & sources
Sources used across the guide are gathered here. Labels show how each source supports the page, and contextual references are kept separate from primary evidence.
Frisch’s — National Tartar Sauce Day launch PDF (opens in a new tab)
Founder Primary
Frisch’s — press releases (opens in a new tab)
Founder Primary
National Day Calendar — Frisch’s founder record (opens in a new tab)
National Day Calendar — proclamation/history page (opens in a new tab)
Understand it, compare it, then explore further
Start with the most common factual questions, then compare closely related observances and explore useful connections.
Frequently asked questions
When is National Tartar Sauce Day?
First Friday of Lent (20 February in 2026) The documented recurrence rule is: First Friday after Ash Wednesday / first Friday of Western Christian Lent.
Does National Tartar Sauce Day fall on the same date every year?
It follows a recurring calendar rule, so the Gregorian date can change from year to year.
Is National Tartar Sauce Day an official public holiday?
The reviewed sources verify it within this scope: United States / Frisch’s Big Boy-created food observance tied to the first Friday of Western Christian Lent. That recognition does not by itself make it a statutory public holiday; the site only makes public-holiday claims when reliable evidence explicitly does so.
Who established or recognizes National Tartar Sauce Day?
The reviewed sources identify Frisch’s Big Boy and National Day Calendar Registrar as the proclaiming or establishing body. The proposer or originator is recorded separately as Frisch’s Big Boy Restaurants. Current facilitation or coordination is recorded as Frisch’s Big Boy, with National Day Calendar maintaining the registered observance.
Is National Tartar Sauce Day international or country-specific?
This observance is specific to United States. Its fuller verified scope is: United States / Frisch’s Big Boy-created food observance tied to the first Friday of Western Christian Lent.
How is this page verified?
The factual information is checked against reviewed sources, including the date pattern, scope and institutional history. This page was checked on 2026-09-09.
When is National Tartar Sauce Day?
It falls on the Friday after Lent begins, so the date changes each year.
Who created National Tartar Sauce Day?
Frisch’s Big Boy founded the observance in 2017 with National Day Calendar registration.
When was the first celebration?
Frisch’s first-year release identifies March 3, 2017 as the first celebration.
Why is it tied to Lent?
The founder and registrar materials connect the timing with fish meals and tartar sauce’s popularity during Lent; the observance itself is commercial rather than a religious feast day.