IT started as a quirky Utah indulgence, but now “dirty soda” is fast becoming the next big thing in restaurant drinks – and Coke and Pepsi are betting big on it.
Once the humble backbone of fast-food menus, sodas are getting a premium makeover as social media drives demand for custom, camera-ready beverages.
Enter the dirty soda – a fizzy base spiked with syrups, creamers, fruit and other add-ins – and suddenly even the most familiar cola is fair game for reinvention.
“It’s not a fad, it’s a trend,” Megan Tallman, vice president of Coca-Cola Freestyle and Foodservice Innovation at Coca-Cola, told Restaurant Dive.
The craze kicked off in Utah in the 2010s with chains like Swig, which mixed sodas with creamers for a sweet, creamy twist.
The concept exploded online in 2022 after Olivia Rodrigo was snapped outside a Swig with a supersized cup in hand, sending fans to TikTok to share their own recipes.
For many Utah locals – especially in the state’s Mormon-majority communities where coffee and alcohol are off-limits – dirty soda became both the morning Starbucks and the after-work happy hour.
Vice magazine once noted these shops provide “the dual role of the morning Starbucks fix and the happy hour gathering spot for a population denied both of these indulgences.”
Now, big soda is looking to bottle that buzz.
Coke is working with restaurants to roll out limited-time offerings (LTOs) that add flavor rims, syrups and dairy to classics like Sprite, Fanta and Coca-Cola.
“Consumers who purchase an LTO are spending more. On average, they’re spending $3 more per trip,” Tallman said.
Beverage LTOs, she added, are growing faster than snacks and other menu categories because they’re so easy to tweak.
Pepsi, meanwhile, is pushing its Drips line – a series of premium, mixology-style sodas.
At the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago, Pepsi showed off creations like Strawberry Basil Starry, Lipton Mango Horchata and a s’mores Pepsi Zero Sugar.
“They love that the [Drips drinks] utilise our brands, that matters to them,” said Scott Finlow, global CMO of foodservice at Pepsi.
“We tested these between $5 and $9 and there’s never been any pushback on the premiumisation.”
The trend is also drawing in other big players.
Coffee Mate recently teamed up with Dr. Pepper for a coconut-lime “Dirty Soda” creamer, retailing from $3.29, designed to make TikTok-worthy concoctions at home.
Despite the wild ingredient combos, the best-selling flavors are surprisingly familiar.
Blue Raspberry – a 50-year-old favourite – and mango continue to dominate, thanks in part to their bright, Instagram-friendly colours.
Coke is even experimenting with syrups for soft-serve ice cream, including an orange creamsicle Fanta flavour and a Barq’s Root Beer version.
With high profit margins, viral potential and a devoted Gen Z audience craving “customisation, how they want it and when they want it,” as Tallman put it, dirty sodas are no longer just a Utah novelty.
They’re shaping up to be the next big beverage battleground – and Coke and Pepsi want to make sure your next sip is anything but plain.
Swig is one of the first chains to have ever started selling dirty sodaHence then, the article about truth behind why dirty soda is taking over restaurants was published today ( ) and is available on The U.S. Sun ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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