Dive Brief:
- Swig, a dirty soda restaurant concept, will enter the Colorado market through a 10-store development deal in the Colorado Springs area, according to a Tuesday press release.
- The new Swig locations will be developed by Alex and Alan Knox, a father-son team Swig says possess significant franchising and restaurant operations experience. The first location under the deal will open later this year.
- The news comes about two weeks after the roughly 150-unit brand signed a 25-unit development deal in South Florida. Swig’s expansion shows growing franchisee interest in dirty soda concepts, and comes as major QSRs like McDonald’s bring versions of the drinks to their menus.
Dive Insight:
Swig calls itself the original dirty soda brand, and with the drinks rapidly rising in cultural prominence, the brand could be poised for significant growth.
The chain has designed its store footprints for easy development, according to the press release. Swig’s stores are 800-850 square feet and, because of its beverage-centric menu, do not require the same degree of kitchen infrastructure as other QSRs. This model also allows the chain to operate efficiently without much labor.
“We're seeing strong demand for concepts that are both operationally efficient and highly adaptable to today's consumer preferences,” Todd Smith, Swig’s president, said in the press release.
As of the start of 2025, Swig’s store system was primarily concentrated in Utah and Texas, according to its franchise disclosure document. Expanding into Colorado, which is near both states, allows the chain to add new markets without overextending itself geographically.
Other operationally efficient, drive-thru-oriented beverage concepts have seen explosive growth in recent years. 7 Brew has grown from a minor chain with just 14 units in 2021 to a 600-store system as of April this year. Dutch Bros has also seen significant growth, doubling its brand awareness in 18 months and passing the 1,000-store mark in 2025.
Even some legacy brands like Dunkin’, which recently introduced its own spin on dirty sodas, have continued to grow despite the rise of challenger chains. Dunkin’ hit 10,000 U.S. stores in October 2025, a milestone matched by just a handful of other restaurant chains.
