There are few simple pleasures I enjoy more than a crisp chicken Caesar salad accompanied by a refreshing Coke. So you can imagine my immeasurable disappointment when I arrived on campus only to find that the only beverages UW offers in its dining halls and vending machines are from PepsiCo.
As it turns out, the university entered an official partnership with PepsiCo in July 2023, meaning that for the next ten years, the only drinks you’ll find at a UW campus, hospital, or athletic venue will come from the Pepsi family of brands. One of the main reasons for this switch appears to be Pepsi’s commitment to providing UW athletes with Gatorade-branded products, which they own. But was $25 million and some Gatorade really worth the subpar beverage options inflicted upon the rest of us?
Don’t get me wrong; I’m not a regular soda drinker (Starbucks black tea lemonade is my go-to cold drink of choice). But once in a while, it would be nice to get my hands on something carbonated and drinkable without having to hike to QFC. On campus, if you’re in the mood for a soda, your main options are Pepsi (and its various diet versions), Mountain Dew, Dr. Pepper, and Starry. Out of these, Dr. Pepper is probably the only soda people actually seem to enjoy on its own merit. As for everything else, I’d argue the Coke alternative is universally more loved.
I know the Cola Wars are a bastion of modern American culture, but Coke just has a better range of products. The titular cola is more carbonated and less sickeningly sweet than Pepsi, but the flavor profiles are close enough that Pepsi is a reluctantly acceptable alternative. Starry and Mountain Dew, on the other hand, are both vastly inferior citrus drinks when compared to Sprite. Seriously, when was the last time anyone said, “I’ve really been craving a Starry”? I tried it out of curiosity, and it tasted like a watered-down ripoff of what a lemon-lime soda should taste like. Even Sierra Mist wasn’t this bad (and used real sugar!), but Pepsi decided to discontinue it. So this is what we’re stuck with.
While I understand there are certain benefits that the university gets from partnering with Pepsi, I can’t help but be disappointed by the fact that the drink choices on campus are so limited. It’s a bleak beverage landscape out here, and as someone who craves the occasional bev to make up for the abysmal campus dining options (a whole other can of worms), I can only hope that one day UW will switch to a less restrictive brand partnership and give students the variety of drink options they really deserve.