Gourmet soda shop opens this weekend
June 30, 2022
The city’s first gourmet soda shop opens Saturday, bringing drinks that are popular in the West to the Midwest.
SoDak Soda, along 85th Street west of Western Avenue, features Coke and Pepsi soft drinks that are customized with flavored syrups, fruit purees and creams.
It’s owned by Katy Rees and her husband, Dr. Joseph Rees, who discovered trendy soda shops while visiting family in Utah and Arizona.
In addition to fountain sodas, customers can choose sparkling or still water and energy drinks to be flavored. Drink sizes range from 16 to 44 ounces. With 22 bases, 38 syrups, four purees and two creams, the combinations are immense.
“We’re looking forward to our customers sharing their creations with us so that we might be able to feature that on social media,” Rees said.
SoDak Soda also offers almost two dozen popular combinations for customers.
“If people come in and they’re not really sure what to get, they can take a look at some of those combinations and help them decide.”
Black Out, for example, starts with Coke, Pepsi or Dr. Pepper and adds blackberry and raspberry syrups and vanilla cream. For Mountain Dew fans, Island Breeze has guava, passionfruit and pineapple syrups.
SoDak Soda also will feature sweet and savory snacks. Fresh-baked cookies will be available in four flavors: chocolate chip, oatmeal chocolate chip, frosted sugar and snickerdoodle. The menu includes Rice Krispie bars, scotcharoos, chips and salsa, and a pretzel with cheese sauce.
The shop has seating for two dozen at tables and in comfortable lounge chairs. It offers Wi-Fi and plug-ins, so customers are welcome to work or study, or have meetings with clients, Rees said.
The drive-thru won’t be open right away to give staff and customers time to become familiar with the menu, Rees said. She’s also waiting for the menu board to be constructed.
Hiring was not an issue for the new business.
“I had 18 applications in 24 hours as soon as I opened the applications,” Rees said. “They seem like a great group of kids. Most of them are high schoolers. A lot of them, it’s their first job.”
Hours at SoDak Soda, 2305 W. Trevi Place, will be 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
For the opening, hours will be 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday.
