D.C.’s famous Sweet Hot Capital City mambo sauce is coming to select KFC restaurants in the Washington, D.C. area, Dallas and Atlanta for a limited time only beginning December 6. Known for its unique sweet, spicy and tangy flavor profile, Sweet Hot Capital City mambo sauce perfectly complements KFC’s world-famous fried chicken and your favorite sides.
Capital City is a celebrated Black woman-owned business operated by Arsha Jones, who was born and raised in Washington, D.C., where mambo sauce could be found at nearly every carryout restaurant. After moving to the suburbs with her late husband Charles, she found it hard to get her hands on the D.C. staple, so she developed her own recipe. Ten years later, Capital City has expanded beyond Arsha’s home kitchen and into the hands of customers across the country.
“KFC has given Capital City a huge opportunity to highlight a culture that many don’t get a chance to experience,” says Arsha Jones, CEO and Co-Founder of Capital City, LLC. “When visitors think of Washington, D.C., they envision museums, government and politics, but there’s a huge community just beyond those few blocks that has a rich history filled with styles, music, lingo and food all our own. We are proud to be able to partner with KFC to share our culture with more people.”
For those not familiar, this fan-favorite kitchen staple has been around since the 1950s and is synonymous with Black D.C. food culture. While the condiment was made famous by Black- owned D.C. area chicken wing restaurants, the sweet and hot flavor profile of the sauce (similar to a Chinese sweet and sour sauce) was adopted by Chinese and Korean carryout restaurants in the 1970s and 80s and has transformed over the years. Part of Arsha’s mission is to ensure that mambo sauce’s true legacy and taste are preserved for years to come.
With this limited-run test launch and partnership with Capital City, KFC hopes to introduce more customers to the District’s iconic sauce and bring new flavors to a national audience. So, whether this is your first introduction to mambo sauce or you’re a D.C. native, KFC has you covered.
“Arsha has created a successful business with this ridiculously delicious sauce, and we are proud to partner with her to give even more people a chance to try it,” says Kevin Hochman, president, KFC U.S. “You have to try Capital City mambo sauce to understand how amazing it tastes, and it’s a terrific match with our world-famous Kentucky Fried Chicken.”
Fans who want to try Sweet Hot Capital City mambo sauce at participating restaurants can choose from several meal options:
- KFC Chicken Sandwich Combo Meal
- 4-piece Extra CrispyTM Tenders Combo Meal
- 2-piece Extra CrispyTM Breast & Wing Combo Meal
- Customers can also add a side of Sweet Hot Capital City mambo sauce to any menu item for an additional cost.
KFC and Capital City fans can enjoy a KFC combo with Sweet Hot Capital City mambo sauce at select restaurants in the D.C. area, Dallas and Atlanta by visiting their local KFC restaurant or ordering ahead for pick-up using KFC’s new Quick Pick-Up order option through KFC.com or the KFC app. Fried chicken lovers can also order for delivery on DoorDash, Postmates, Uber Eats, Grubhub, Seamless.com or the Seamless app.
