Florida
Swig opens in Cape Coral, bringing more ‘dirty soda’ to SW Florida
The corporate website lists the store as coming soon.
But that’s not quite right.
Ever so quietly, Swig opened its first Cape Coral location on Monday, May 4, at 1121 Solaris Drive.
Word has spread quickly, and a steady stream of cars has been pulling in and out ever since.
“We’re so excited to be in Cape Coral,” said Monique LeRoy, the franchise owner of this and the recently opened Fort Myers locations. “People have been asking us to come to Cape Coral for months now.”
You’ll find it in the new Shops at Del Sol, off Pine Island Road, just west of Del Prado Boulevard. It’s in the same development as the newly opened Chicken Salad Chick and the yet to come Cigar Bar and Burrito Shak.
Swig — an extremely popular drive-thru drink chain known for its trending “dirty soda” concept — doesn’t need any advertising or social media announcements for fans of the brand to know when a new shop is open.
“People see the big inflatable cup outside, and they know,” LeRoy said.
When she opened the Fort Myers Swig in the Publix-anchored University Crossing on the northeast corner of Summerlin Road and Cypress Lake Drive back in February, there was no advertising then either. She just turned on the open sign.
“We won’t officially advertise until our grand opening,” said LeRoy, who also has a franchise in Bradenton. “That should be the weekend of (May) 29th or 30th.”
It’s during the grand opening when free drinks (24-ounces only, no blenders) and cookies (chocolate chip only) will be given to everyone who drives through.
“In Fort Myers, we gave away more than 1,200 free drinks,” she said. “We were doing over 100 orders an hour.”
In the meantime, though, Swig in Cape Coral is in its soft opening phase, with the drive-thru now open seven days a week (the lobby is closed until after the grand opening) with a full menu offered. And that menu is a lot.
Just what is Swig’s dirty soda?
Swig’s dirty soda begins with a base soda, and then a customizable mix of flavored syrups, fresh fruits, purees, and creams are added to it.
Base options include Mountain Dew (regular, diet, zero), Sprite (regular and zero), Dr. Pepper (regular, diet, zero, blackberry), Coke (regular, diet and zero), Pepsi (regular and zero), ginger ale and Fresca.
Flavors and fruits run the gamut from blue raspberry and butterscotch to toasted marshmallow and watermelon.
Then come the purees (like mango, peach and raspberry) and creams (as in coconut, chocolate, strawberry, vanilla and whipped), chills (iced or blended) and sweetness (lite, extra or extra-extra).
You can choose from one of the signature sodas like the popular Texas Tab, with Dr. Pepper, vanilla and coconut cream or the Shark Attack with Sprite, lemonade, blue raspberry and a gummy shark.
“Mojito Mamma (lemonade, mojito mint, coconut puree, coconut cream and fresh lime available for a limited time) is one of my new favorites,” LeRoy said.
Or you can pick and choose your favorite flavors to create your own customized combination. The possibilities are endless.
Drinks come in four sizes — 16, 24, 32 and 44 ounces.
But wait. There’s more.
“We also have refreshers — our water-based beverages,” LeRoy said. We have tea (sweet and unsweet), revivers, which are Swig’s version of energy drinks, cookies and pretzels. If I need a reviver, I get Drama Queen (sugar-free reviver, lemonade, with sugar-free strawberry, peach and coconut).”
And our personal favorite — frozen hot chocolate!
Cookies — sugar swirl, mini chocolate chip, and birthday cake — are served cold.
“It’s based on cookie dough,” LeRoy said. “They’re served fresh, but cold.”
And when it comes to Swig, she knows just about all there is to know.
More Swigs coming to Southwest Florida
Swig originated in St. George, Utah, where LeRoy happens to be from.
“I grew up going to Swig,” she said. “In middle school, when life was sad, I remember going and getting some pick-me-up pretzels.”
When it opened in 2010 (happy Sweet 16!), its “dirty soda” became an extremely popular alternative to coffee and alcohol in the Mormon community. Since then, the company has expanded to nearly 150 locations in 16 states.
LeRoy, who went to Utah State University with the founder of Crumbl, has personally opened three locations in the last year and aims to open 15 total.
“We’re so excited,” she said. “We haven’t found our next location yet. We’re looking in Port Charlotte, Lakewood Ranch. We’re looking in Estero and Naples. I would like to get multiple locations in Naples ASAP.”
For now, though, she’s focused on Cape Coral.
“We trained all the staff at our Fort Myers location,” LeRoy said, adding that her locations are always hiring. “So we will be able to move everyone along quicker. We always have a line ambassador outside to help you.”
And with all those options, that’s a very good thing.
Swig, 1121 Solaris Drive, Cape Coral; open 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday; swig.com or follow on Facebook and Instagram. Find the Fort Myers location at 13401 Summerlin Road at University Crossing
Robyn George is a food and dining reporter for The News-Press. Connect at rhgeorge@fortmyer.gannett.com
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