Openings & Closings

This ‘dirty’ soda chain is bubbling up in the Kansas City area, opening six locations

Swig offers a variety of soda products with added flavors, creams and purees.
Swig offers a variety of soda products with added flavors, creams and purees. Swig

A Utah-based drive-thru “dirty” soda chain, offering fizzy drinks with added creams and syrups, will open six shops in the Kansas City area.

Swig is building in Mission, Blue Springs, Lee’s Summit and Liberty and plans two locations in Overland Park — the city with the most requests to put in Swig, said Chief Operating Officer Chase Wardrop.

After putting out an Instagram callout last year for suggestions of new locations and receiving over 600 submissions, Wardrop said Overland Park was at the top of the list.

“We’re very excited about the market,” Wardrop said. “There’s a demand there and lots of brand recognition.”

Swig began in 2010 in St. George, Utah. The drink became a hit with stars like singer Olivia Rodrigo, who posted an Instagram photo of herself holding a Swig cup in 2021.

Several TikTok users began posting videos of themselves creating their own dirty sodas.

@skylerangela 10/10 I’m moving to Utah #fyp #foryou #dirtysoda #utah #utahcheck #utahmom #soda #creamsoda #trending ♬ original sound - James Sar

The chain’s most popular drink is the “raspberry dream” — a Dr Pepper with raspberry puree and coconut cream.

“It’s game changing,” Wardop said. “The coconut cream is incredible.”

The store offers several kinds of soda brands, plus energy drinks, blended sodas with fruit puree and drinks with fruit-flavored popping pearls.

Swig also offers a few food options, like pretzel bites with strawberry cream cheese and coconut sugar cookies.

The Johnson County locations are expected to open sometime next year: in Overland Park near Interstate 69 and West 159th Street, and at West 91st Street and Metcalf Avenue; and in Mission at Barkley and Martway streets.

The locations on the Missouri side are expected to open by the end of this year: in Liberty at Northeast 96th Street and Cookingham Drive; Lee’s Summit at Northwest Chipman and Donovan roads; and Blue Springs at Northeast Coronado Drive and Sunnyside School Road.

The company has 52 shops across Utah, Arizona, Texas and Oklahoma.

Wardrop said Swig is eyeing other locations in the Midwest, including Nebraska and Iowa, but the Kansas City area stores are the furthest east the chain has ventured.

Jenna Thompson
The Kansas City Star
Jenna Thompson covers retail news for The Kansas City Star. A native of Lincoln, Nebraska, she previously reported for the Lincoln Journal Star and graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where she studied journalism and English.
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