A fizzy trend is making its way into Wichita: dirty soda
A nationwide trend is on its way to Wichita: dirty soda.
Derek Sorrells, who is already well-known for bringing delicious and/or entertaining trends to Wichita via his other businesses like Papa’s General Store, The Arcade, Sweet n Saucy and Let’s Go Build, says he will open a drive-through “dirty soda” shop in Wichita in October. He’s taken over the former Fried Pies kiosk at Northwest Centre, 13th and Tyler, and will put his first drive-through-only shop there.
TikTok fans are likely already familiar with the trend, which blends sodas with sweet syrups, fresh fruit and fruit purees. National chains like Swig, Sodalicious and Fiiz are already doing big business in cities across the United States. Swig has five stores in the Oklahoma City area and has announced plans to expand into Kansas City later this year.
Sorrells says he wants to be the first to bring dirty soda to Wichita, though, and he thinks it will be popular here, too.
“I’ve been trying to do this for a year,” he said. “The biggest problem is there are no drive throughs available. They’re super hard to find.”
Ben Gartner of J.P. Weigand represented Sorrells in the deal.
Sorrels said that the shop will offer a menu of favorites and that people can dream up their own drinks. More than 1,000 different combinations are possible, he said.
One that will be on the menu is the Hawaiian Girl, which mixes pineapple, mango and fresh fruit with soda water. People could also get the drink with Sprite or Sprite Zero, and they can customize their drinks to be as sugary or as sugar-free as they choose.
Sorrells will call his sodas “sassy sodas,” as the phrase “dirty soda” is trademarked, he said. Swig started in Utah in 2010 as an alternative for people who don’t drink coffee or just love fizzy drinks. Sorrells says he’s one of those people: He starts his day with a large Diet Coke.
“There are those people that in the afternoon what they’re looking for is Diet Coke, but they want something a little more flavorful,” he said.
The shop also will sell cookies made on site and pretzel bites. It will likely be open from around 7:30 a.m. until 9 p.m., later on the weekends.
The shop will be open no later than mid-October, Sorrells said, adding that he’s already scouting out properties for two more Just a Sip shops, both of which would also be drive-through only.
This story was originally published August 17, 2023 at 12:49 PM.
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