Openings & Closings

Highly anticipated soda shop opens first Johnson County location

Swig specializes in dirty soda, made by combining fountain sodas with creams, fresh fruit and sweet syrups.
Swig specializes in dirty soda, made by combining fountain sodas with creams, fresh fruit and sweet syrups.

Johnson County is excited for its first Swig location — if the long drive-thru lines are any indication.

The Utah-based company opened its Mission location on Saturday at 5959 Barkley St. But even on a Monday afternoon, the line for decked-out sodas (enhanced with cream, syrup, fruit puree and candy) backed into the street.

The location is the company’s fourth in the metro. Its first location opened at 448 NE Coronado Drive in Blue Springs in October. A Lee’s Summit spot opened in early December at 400 NW Chipman Road.

In February, the company opened a spot near Liberty at 9705 N. Ash Ave.

Mission has been awaiting its Swig since the location was first announced in October 2023. Its targeted opening was then pushed back a few times.

A few items from Swig’s drink menu: Dragon Dew (Mountain Dew, lemonade, dragon fruit, raspberry puree and vanilla cream), Buttery Beer (rootbeer, butterscotch, vanilla cream) and Just Peachy (Coke Zero Sugar, pineapple, peach puree, lime and coconut cream).

Swig opened its first Johnson County location at 5959 Barkley St. More are on the way.
Swig opened its first Johnson County location at 5959 Barkley St. More are on the way. Jenna Thompson jthompson@kcstar.com

Snacks include pretzel bites, sugar cookies and mini chocolate chip cookies.

The wildly popular “dirty soda” chain is also planning two locations in Overland Park: 6901 W. 91st St. and 11860 W. 135th St.

Swig gained traction outside Utah via TikTok, where popular influencers would replicate drinks and spill the details on their favorite orders.

Another surge of interest came with the release of Hulu series “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,” a fact that which Swig’s marketing officer Dylan Roeder said gave the company a major boost. Alcohol and coffee are prohibited for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

“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.

Related Stories from Kansas City Star
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.
Get unlimited digital access
#ReadLocal

Try 1 month for $1

CLAIM OFFER