Viral ‘dirty’ soda chain opens first Kansas City area spot, attracting long lines
In the middle of the afternoon Monday, the line for Swig in Blue Springs stretched down a quiet neighborhood street.
The Utah-based chain, selling cookies, pretzels and, most notably, “dirty” soda softly opened the location Saturday, marking Swig’s entry to the Kansas City area. The new Blue Springs location, 448 NE Coronado Drive, has attracted steady crowds since then.
The excitement surrounding Swig’s opening likely has something to do with the amount of views and online chatter dirty soda — soft drinks with syrups, creams, fruit and other add-ins — has garnered online.
In recent months, TikTok users and online influencers have made videos detailing their Swig order or showing themselves recreating the drinks at home.
The large soda cups are frequent props on Hulu’s new series “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,” a fact that Swig marketing officer Dylan Roeder said gave the company a major boost.
“We were never looking at a reality show as a platform to market Swig, but the show blew up overnight and became an out of control phenomenon,” he told marketing magazine PR Week.
“We don’t drink alcohol or do drugs, so (soda is) kind of our vice,” one cast member on the Hulu show said. (Coffee is also on the list of prohibited substances for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.)
Swig is aiming to open at least three more Kansas City area locations this year: 9705 N. Ash Ave., 5959 Barkley St. in Mission, and 400 NW Chipman Road in Lee’s Summit.
Previously, Swig had also filed paperwork to open two Overland Park spots: 6900 W. 91st St. and at 135th Street and Quivira Road. The status of those locations was not immediately available Wednesday morning. Swig did not respond to The Star’s request for comment.
Some of the sodas on Swig’s menu include the Cherry Bomb (Pepsi, cherry, coconut and vanilla cream), Endless Summer (Mountain Dew, pomegranate, grapefruit and fresh lime), and Poppin’ Pineapple (Sprite, pineapple, watermelon and strawberry popping pearls).
Swig also sells frozen hot chocolate and energy drinks.
The Blue Springs location will be open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturdays, and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sundays.