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DAVIS COUNTY — Some might think Javier Ocasio takes soda seriously, but that might be an understatement. When a customer asked for a Mountain Dew with a bit of grape syrup, Ocasio offered a suggestion.
"Just grape? I can surprise you with something else," Ocasio said.
Ocasio insists his job at Soda Pop Culture in Clearfield is about more than making simple short-orders.
"We are the mixologists," Ocasio said. "We turn your old drinks and make them into a thing of pure epicness."
Owners Brad and Erin Boyle say they got the idea for the specialty drink shop while visiting a similar restaurant in San Francisco.
"We kind of loved watching the idea of the old-fashioned soda shop kind of come back around," Erin Boyle said. "We just wanted to take the idea and turn it into something that would be great for the community."
Soda Pop Culture is just one of many brands of gourmet soft drink businesses that are showing up all over the Wasatch Front. Jason and Jen Anderson, opened Fiiz in Bountiful last January. Since then, they've added another one in Syracuse, and a family member opened one in Kaysville.
We are the mixologists. We turn your old drinks, and make them into a thing of pure epicness.
–Javier Ocasio
"It's just not good enough to have a Diet Coke," Jason Anderson said. "It has to have some mix-ins with it, and we try to take it a step above that."
Anderson says Fiiz pushes the concept forward with a professional chef, who comes up with the signature drink combinations. Some may add only flavored syrups to your sodas, while others incorporate whipping cream, or even fruit puree.
"We feel like if you're gonna do a soda shop, and you're gonna be a connoisseur of that, then you'd want to have somebody that can really take it to that next level," Anderson said.
Meantime the owners of Soda Pop Culture try to turn their business into a center for social activity. A sign advertises "Happy Hour" outside. They also put on regular events, like video game competitions, musical acts and karaoke. Some of their more daring customers can also attempt what they call "The Platter." Each person gets 12 minutes to consume 12 different flavors, each in six ounce cups. Houston Terry, a student at Syracuse High School, holds the current record at just over two minutes.
"It's always nice to brag about it," Terry said. "People calling you 'The Legend,' 'The Champ.' "
Owners of both Soda Pop Culture and Fiiz say they want their restaurants to become local hangouts and not your average quick-stop, convenience store soda stop.
"A place that people could come hang out as a family," Boyle said. "Or as teenagers after the football game, stuff like that."
"We have a lot of regular customers, and we love interacting with all of them," Jen Anderson said. "I love making drinks and making people happy."
