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- The Cheesecake Factory introduces exclusive nonalcoholic specialty sodas in Utah locations.
- Utah's dirty soda trend continues to attract interest, with brands expanding beyond the state.
SALT LAKE CITY — The Cheesecake Factory is entering Utah's dirty soda war with a new item exclusive to the Beehive State.
The popular restaurant chain, which has locations in Salt Lake City, Murray and Orem, announced Wednesday that it plans to introduce a new lineup of "nonalcoholic specialty sodas" only available at its Utah locations — at least for a limited time. Its lineup features:
- Black Cherry-liciou: Amarena cherry, vanilla sweet cream and cola.
- Pineapple Coconut Dream: Pineapple, coconut, sweet cream and lemon-lime.
- Root Beer 'Float': Barq's root beer with vanilla sweet cream.
It wasn't immediately clear how long the new items will be on the menu or if it's a test for wider launch in the future, but the chain's recent menu changes have made headlines. Company officials announced last month that they were ditching 13 menu items and adding more than 20 new foods and cocktails.
The Cheesecake Factory is known for its vast menu options that go through changes, CNN noted at the time.
"That's what keeps people interested. And it keeps us current. We don't rest on our laurels," restaurant founder David Overton said in a 2017 interview, as noted by the outlet.
Dirty sodas, on the other hand, have become a Utah staple with growing interest outside of the state. The practice of adding creamy additions and other flavors to soda elevated several Utah brands over the past decade, as well as an infamous court battle between Swig and Sodalicious that concluded in 2017. Swig, Sodalicious and Fiiz have all expanded into other markets since then, reaching as far as the East Coast.
Wednesday's announcement adds to the interest from others seeking to tap into the trend.
Dr. Pepper launched a temporary "creamy coconut" flavor last year, finding the highest interest from customers in Utah and Idaho who got the reference. That led to the region receiving a bonus batch from the company. It also partnered with Coffee Mate last year on creamer marketed for dirty soda. Sonic also debuted a dirty soda lineup last year, among national fast food chains.
