Fred and Friends Traveling Tavern brings dirty soda craze to Indianapolis with alcohol-free menu

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Fred and Friends Traveling Tavern is broadening its appeal this season by introducing a new alcohol-free menu geared toward younger guests, joining the popular dirty soda craze sweeping the nation.

Previously focused on the 21-and-older crowd, the tavern has expanded its offerings to include customizable dirty sodas, loaded lemonades, and Alanis—largely thanks to inspiration from 14-year-old staff member Rylynn Bradley, daughter of manager Lindsay Bradley.

“We’ve had the tavern for a couple years now where we cater to our 21 and over crew, but we’ve kind of noticed a need for those under 21,” Lindsay Bradley said. “They want to come up and get a slushy, you know, hang out with mom and dad.”

The tavern offers a rotating selection of drinks featuring about 20 different syrup choices, including both zero sugar and regular soda options.

Among the customer favorites are:

• Dirty Cotton Candy Alani: A vibrant mix of blue raspberry, edible glitter, cotton candy Alani, and cotton candy cold foam
• Bomb Pop: Combines cherry, Sprite, and blue raspberry-infused cold foam for a refreshing taste

“It’s so customizable, which is what we really like about it,” Lindsay said. “You come up, you see the syrups, you see the soda. If you want a drink, we’ll make it.”

Teen Inspiration

Rylynn Bradley, who helped inspire the menu expansion, says working at the tavern has been a valuable learning experience.

“It is such a great opportunity. It helps me learn how to do new things and try to work on my communication skills a little bit better,” Rylynn said. “It’s really fun and it’s one of my favorite things that I do.”

Friends of Fred Network

Fred and Friends Traveling Tavern is part of Friends of Fred, a local network that helps food trucks in the Indianapolis area connect and support each other.

“We all network together, we look out for the best of one another,” Lindsay said. “That’s what you get with Friends of Fred.”

The timing of the expansion coincides with National Food Truck Day, though weather challenges reminded the team of the unpredictable nature of the business.

“The weather has completely derailed almost everybody’s plans today, so that’s food truck life in a nutshell,” Lindsay said.

Where to Find Them

The tavern will be at White River State Park for the upcoming drone show event, serving both its alcoholic and non-alcoholic drink selections.

For those interested in connecting with the Friends of Fred network or finding the tavern’s location, visit the Friends of Fred Facebook page. Look for trucks displaying the “Friends of Fred vetted member” sticker.

Along with the new alcohol-free dirty soda selection, the tavern continues to offer slushies, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, catering to a wide range of tastes throughout the Indianapolis food truck scene.