Three friends wanted to find a way to safely dip French fries and chicken nuggets in sauce while driving. Though it may seem like a small problem, about 20% of American meals are eaten in cars, which inspired the group to come up with a solution (via Do Something). A more recent 2023 report found that 70% of commuters eat while driving.
This led to the creation of the Saucemoto. It’s a special cup holder for fast food sauces. The device clips to your car’s air vents and has a spot that securely holds sauce containers from drive-thru restaurants. It helps avoid spills and makes it easier to dip food without having to struggle while driving.
As the brand’s slogan says, you can “say bye bye to ketchup-less fries.” The Saucemoto even works with sauce packets, using a washable cup where you can squeeze condiments like hot sauce and ketchup.
William Moujaes, Michael Koury, and Koury’s cousin Tony Lahood started their company, Milkmen Design, to bring this solution to life. They combined their design and engineering skills and spent many hours testing 3D printed prototypes to create their innovative product.
In late 2017, they launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise money for the project, with an initial goal of $10,000. They reached that goal in just a few days, and within less than a month, the amount raised more than tripled.
In December, they set a stretch goal of $60,000, and by January 2018, the campaign had raised over $63,000. It was time to get some attention for the product.
What happened to Saucemoto on Shark Tank?
The partners went on “Shark Tank” in Season 10, Episode 22, which aired on May 5, 2019. They asked for $45,000 in exchange for 15% of their company.
Their pitch was funny as they showed the struggles of dipping food while driving or not being able to use sauce at all. All three men got into a large cardboard car and pretended to drive down a bumpy street. They explained that Saucemoto stops the mess that happens when dipping sauces in the car, no matter how rough the road is.
Barbara Corcoran didn’t think the product was necessary, but Mark Cuban shared that he eats about 30% of his meals while driving. When asked about sales, they shared that they had sold 12,000 units, making $77,000 in sales. It cost them 80 cents to make each one, and they sold it for $5.75.
Mark Cuban, who was about to leave “Shark Tank,” said he liked the product, but thought there was too much work involved to make big sales from it. Kevin O’Leary saw an opportunity for promotion with fast food restaurants and offered $45,000 for 50% of the company.
Robert Herjavec also liked the idea and offered the same amount for 40%. O’Leary wanted in more and lowered his offer to 25%. The Milkmen agreed to the deal.
Saucemoto after Shark Tank
After the episode aired, the brand saw huge sales thanks to the “Shark Tank” effect and sold out soon after the show. In a 2023 interview on the Everything Money podcast, Tony Lahood talked about how, at the start, all the company’s profits were used to produce more inventory.
Sales continued to grow and reached their peak during Christmas when the product became the third-best seller in the kitchen and dining category on Amazon, right behind the well-known Yeti and Stanley Cup tumblers, which are famous for their collaborations.
Lahood shared that the deal with Kevin O’Leary didn’t happen, saying “at the end of the day, we didn’t see eye to eye on some of the terms.” He also mentioned that Shark Lori Greiner had made an offer, which was edited out, as well as earlier offers from O’Leary that were dismissed as “ridiculous.”
He pointed out that they weren’t just looking for money, but for connections and exposure for their product, which they successfully gained.
Even without O’Leary’s connections, the team managed to get Saucemoto into stores like AutoZone, Advance Auto Parts, and Joann. However, physical stores weren’t the main focus for the brand, as most of their sales were still made online, driven by word of mouth and social media.
Some of their viral videos show the product being used in extreme situations, such as off-roading and on combat fighter jets.
Is Saucemoto still in business?
Even though the “Shark Tank” deal didn’t happen, Saucemoto is still in business without the investment. The product is available on the company’s website and on Amazon, where it has over 23,200 ratings and a score of 4.6 out of five stars.
The product now comes in more colors, including black, gray, red, and pink, along with a limited edition metallic rose gold.
The company has also expanded its product line by adding new items unrelated to driving. They offer two types of BPA-free ice trays that make mini fast food-style ice cubes in fun shapes.
One tray makes round nugget shapes (aka pebbles), and the other makes donut shapes with a hole in the middle. These are designed to be playful, with small cubes that fit better in small water bottles, are fun to crunch, and help cool drinks faster.
Another new product is a special charcuterie board called Sauce-cuterie. Made from acacia wood, the double-sided board has eight sections to hold stainless steel serving cups, which come with silicone lids.
This board is great for serving meats, cheeses, dips like barbecue sauce and ranch dressing, or condiments like mustard and mayonnaise. It can also be used for fruits and desserts, like sweet appetizers, caramel charcuterie boards. However, these new products no longer seem to be available.
What’s next for Saucemoto?
The brand has not shared many details about its future plans, and the company purposely keeps its earnings information private. This secrecy could be a precaution because it is currently involved in a lawsuit with the discount chain Five Below. Even though Milkmen Design LLC.
owns the patents for Saucemoto, Five Below began selling a similar product, which is almost identical to Saucemoto. Milkmen Design is suing Five Below for copying their intellectual property.
There are also many other knockoff versions being sold on Amazon. While the lawsuit is still ongoing, Five Below continues to sell its version, called the Vibe Condiment Dipping Clip.
In his Everything Money interview, Tony Lahood suggested that new and fun products are being developed, so we might see more exciting ideas from the team soon. The brand has social media pages on Facebook and TikTok, but it looks like Instagram is the only platform they are still actively updating.
Any new Saucemoto news will likely be shared there. Those following Saucemoto for a “Shark Tank” update may have noticed less social media activity, and as of January 2025, only the original sauce holder is available for purchase.
Saucemoto in 2025
Saucemoto benefited greatly from the free publicity of being on Shark Tank. After appearing on the show, its product sold out and was on track to sell more than a million units in 2019, the year the show aired. The product is still available for purchase on the company’s website and on Amazon.
Saucemoto has expanded its product line to include more sauce holders in different colors. The company has social media pages, but it hasn’t put much focus on them. Its Facebook and Instagram pages have over 2,000 followers, while its Twitter has fewer than 200 followers. On Amazon, the product has a 4.5 out of 5-star rating from over 19,500 reviews.
Saucemoto has teamed up with several fast food chains, like Zaxby’s and Chick-Fil-A, to provide the holders with their meals. The brand faces competition from other generic sauce holders, but it stays competitive because of its strong brand recognition.
The three founders have kept their other jobs while continuing to run Saucemoto. The company hasn’t shared its revenue since appearing on Shark Tank, but with its high sales and partnerships, it’s clear that the business has been successful.
[Updated: 04/04/2025]
