Would you drive across town for a soda? That probably sounds a little ridiculous.
You can buy a Coke almost anywhere in America. Gas stations have them. Fast-food restaurants have them. Convenience stores have entire refrigerators full of them.
And yet, a company built around doing something slightly ridiculous with soda is spreading across the country.
Swig started as a tiny drive-thru in Utah. Today, it has more than 170 locations across 17 states and keeps signing deals for dozens more. Its latest announcement was an 11-unit agreement for South Denver, with the first location expected in 2027.
That is no longer just a quirky regional trend.
It is becoming a real restaurant category.
And here is the part that makes me pay attention: Swig isn't really selling soda.
there is this soda chain Swig (like fast food chain but primarily soda) founded in Utah in 2010, scaling to 250 locations
— ted (@tednotlasso) August 11, 2026
they pioneered the “dirty soda” trend: mixing fountain sodas w/ flavored syrups, fruit purees, coconut creamer, etc.
anyway, Blank Street is just NYC Swig pic.twitter.com/YGTacEuetw
It is selling the experience of creating your own drink, showing it off, trying another one next week, and turning a fountain drink into a little event.
That sounds suspiciously like what Starbucks did to coffee. So now we have a fun question. Can dirty soda become America's next coffee?