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SANDY — When Nicole Tanner opened the first Swig drink shop in 2010, her goals were to create a better drink, a fast-moving line and amazing customer service.
"As long as we can stay true to those three core values, then we will stay at the top of the 'dirty drink' world," Tanner said.
Watching Tanner take drive-thru orders at the Sandy Swig on Friday during the store's "50 for 50" event, it was clear that those values have carried the store through the past 13 years as one of the fastest-growing soda companies in the country.
To commemorate the store's 50th location next week in Prosper, Texas, next week, Swig is hosting a one-day event Friday offering cookies for 50 cents and drinks starting at 50 cents at every store location.
Swig CEO Rian McCartan joined Tanner at the Sandy Swig on Friday morning. The two took orders in the drive-thru line, made drinks and interacted with customers. A line of two dozen cars spilled out of the parking lot.
"Being in our stores is like my happy place, so for this event today I want to be in as many of our stores that I can, just to share that Swig love," Tanner said. She shared plans to visit several Swig locations across the Salt Lake Valley before flying down to St. George on Friday afternoon to visit a few southern Utah locations.
Reflecting on those southern Utah locations — including the original Swig shop in St. George, which was recently remodeled into a flagship location — McCartan said it's important to the Swig team that they never forget where they started or who has supported them.
"It's just a monumental accomplishment for our team, so being able to do '50 for 50' is a big thank you to our customer base who got us here," McCartan said. "Our customer base, beyond just being the most loyal, is just kind and generous. We'll never forget where we came from."
Tanner said Utah's culture has been instrumental to the success of Swig.
"Utah culture is just loving and giving to begin with, and very community-led," Tanner said.
She also pointed out that St. George, as a vacation destination, was a great place to begin because the store has become part of that destination experience.
'Best is yet to come'
"Surreal." That's how Tanner described making it to 50 stores in 13 years, with that number set to exponentially increase over the next few years.
Tanner said growing the stores so far has been an "organic" process. Despite receiving more than 700 franchising offers, the Swig team has only recently opened up to franchising, with its first 50 stores — and 25 more stores in the works this year — staying corporate.
I want to make sure that all our customers are loved and treated like I would treat them.
– Nicole Tanner, Swig founder
More than 200 locations will begin franchising this year, McCartan said.
Swig was also recently acquired by Utah's Larry H. Miller Company, and will be setting up locations in Megaplex Theatres starting later this year.
"We're growing out of our startup phase and more into our scaling phase, which is a really exciting time for us," McCartan said. "We're moving very, very quickly."
This is the first year the company's growth is focusing outside of Utah. As Swig opens to franchising, Tanner said her main concern is keeping the "Swig culture" consistent across the country.
"I want to make sure that all our customers are loved and treated like I would treat them," Tanner said. "I want every Swig to feel like a family, and that spills out over to the customers where they feel like a family."
Tanner said focusing on her core values, including the three values that started out Swig, have helped her build the company.
"As amazing as the last 13 years' events' have been, the best is yet to come," Tanner said. "Spreading all the Swig love and the Swig family to the world is surreal and amazing."
Swig culture
"Never in a million years did I think I'd have 50 locations. But I think it literally was one step at a time, one day at a time, and focusing on what is important," Tanner said. "It was one drink, one customer and one team member at a time."
She said a big goal of Swig, and part of the "Swig culture," is making customers feel special. Tanner said she hopes customers feel like they can count on their interactions at Swig to make their day better, whether through their fundraising efforts or their friendly customer service.
"They can get a drink like we serve anywhere, but we make them feel special in our drive-thru line, and to celebrate 50 stores with them is a big deal," Tanner said. "That's why we did this ('50 for 50') day: Let's celebrate. You're part of the celebration."
