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KAYSVILLE - A ban on lunchtime sodas at Davis High school has turned into a business opportunity for some students.
Three juniors, Cameron Bettolo, Justin Olsen and Zack Longson, have set up a soda store to help other students get their fix during lunch.
Bettolo said Olsen originally came up with the idea that has now turned into a booming business.
"(He) said, 'Hey, we should sell soda.' And I said, 'Great idea!'" Betollo said.
Soda machines were banned at Davis High in May when the school was found to be in violation of federal nutritional guidelines. Davis High paid thousands of dollars in fines and ultimately shut down all of the soda machines inside the school.
"They're selling ice cream and Snickers inside the school, because it has milk and peanuts, which are good for you," Bettolo said. "But honestly, I think ice cream and Snickers are just as bad for you as this stuff."
But Bettolo and his friends found a way to use the ban in in their favor. With a few metal chairs and a cooler, they have sidestepped the ban by selling cans of soda off school property, just outside the school cafeteria.
During lunchtime, students walk out and buy soda and then go back into the cafeteria to drink it inside the school.
"A lot of people come out here and buy them," said Bryce Haley, a student who bought soda outside the cafeteria. "It's really cheap to get a box of cans and sell them for a dollar or two."
So far, the 11th-graders have been enjoying their business and are surprised at how successful it's been.
"It's been going really great, besides sitting out here in the cold, obviously," Longson said.
Bettolo, Olson and Longson haven't spent their earnings on anything except soda to replenish their store. They are waiting to count their pennies and split the revenue until the end of their senior year. But looking into the future, they hope to pass the business on to other students after they graduate.
