West-side soda shop’s opening was kind of crazy. Now it’s the east side’s turn.
If you drove (or tried to drive) west on 13th Street near Tyler mid-October, you may have encountered a crazy line of cars snaking around the Northwest Centre parking lot and out into the street.
The drivers of those cars were waiting — and some willingly waited for close to an hour — for a free drink at the new Just a Sip dirty soda shop, which celebrated its grand opening at 8520 W 13th St. with free drinks both Oct. 18 and Oct. 19. The demand was overwhelming, said owner Derek Sorrells, who reports that he gave away 2,142 sodas the first day and 2,576 the second.
Now, he’s about to do it again, although he’s scaling back a bit. This coming Thursday, Nov. 16, Sorrells will open the east-side Just a Sip, which is taking over the former Baskin-Robbins space at 2126 N. Webb Road.
Sorrells will once again be giving away free sodas, but on the east side, it’ll happen just one day — on Thursday — and not two.
Why?
“Part of the problem is that the parking lot is a little more challenging over there, and we know it’s going to be a bit difficult,” Sorrells said. “Our goal is not to cause problems for other businesses. We want to help them out with additional positive traffic.”
Sorrells is talking about the tight drive-through lane and much smaller parking lot the east-side store has in comparison to the one on the west side, which sits on the edge of Northwest Centre’s spacious footprint.
Visitors can help speed the process up if they check out Just a Sip’s menu before coming (you can see it below) and decide what they want, Sorrells said. And he suggests that people visiting for free sodas resist the urge to play it safe with their orders. Just a Sip’s drinks blend sodas with sweet syrups, fresh fruit and fruit purees, and visitors can get some unusual combinations. One of the most popular orders at the west side so far has been the Papa Pepper, which mixes Dr. Pepper with cherry syrup and Italian sweet cream, he said.
“I would say look at our menu online first,” Sorrels said. “That way you can get an idea of something that you might like and because it’s free, you can order something you might not normally try and get out of your comfort zone.”
Sorrells said that on Thursday, employees will be set up outside with a wheel customers can spin to win prizes like tumblers, gift cards and sugar cookies, which Just a Sip also sells. Even though the new shop is taking over an old Baskin-Robbins, which had space for customers inside, Just a Sip east will be drive-through only, just like on the west side.
Just a Sip has switched to its winter hours, which now will be the standard at both shops: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.
Just A Sip menu
This story was originally published November 15, 2023 at 11:14 AM.
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