In the spring of 2022, dirty sodas became a huge trend on TikTok. A dirty soda is a concoction of soda with different types of flavoring. Creamer, syrups and sometimes fruits are the add-ins that make the soda be deemed as “dirty”. The drinks are most popular in Utah, where many soda shops have opened. Recently, more and more are starting to show up around the United States.
Owned by Kelly Smith and co-owner Maddie Peterson, The Dirty Soda Shack is a food truck that caters different events through Altoona and Hollidaysburg. On Sept. 2, they opened a drive-thru on Logan Blvd. The building also includes a walk-up window and outdoor seating. The drive-thru is placed between Your Jewelry Box and M&T Bank.
Before the drive-thru had its grand opening I had only heard of The Dirty Soda Shack a few times before. Like any TikTok trend, I wanted to try it like everyone else. With the drive-thru opening, I figured to take the chance of trying the drinks because they are more accessible.
The business’s social media is very active. They are constantly posting on Instagram and Facebook, which is helpful coming from the customer perspective, to get new information. What I learned the first time I looked at their social media was that they don’t only sell drinks but also food like soft pretzels, street tacos, cookies of the week and so much more.
The menu has an extremely wide variety of drinks. You can get the drinks in a regular and a large. They have their all-year drinks with combinations like The OG (coke, pineapple and coconut) or The Dirty Doctor (Dr. Pepper, toffee, whipped cream, caramel drizzle and toffee crumble) You can also customize the drinks if you want to have them with a diet soda and sugar-free add-ins.
They have a section of their menu called the Skinny Menu which is all drinks specifically with diet sodas and sugar-free add-ins. They also currently have specialty drinks for the holidays with themed names such as Mr. Grinch (They have a revolving menu, especially with holidays. To go with the holiday drinks you can also get homemade holiday cookies.)
Because of how popular the trend is I was surprised there was only 1 car in the lane. Like any other drive-thru, there are multiple menus placed before you get to the window. There is one large menu for their yearlong drinks and another for the specialty drinks.
There was one woman working. She was extremely kind through the ordering process and made the drinks and food surprisingly fast for being the only one working. Since it was my first time going, I wanted to order two drinks for range. I ordered the Filthy Animal from the regular menu and off of the Skinny Menu, Prim & Peach. I wanted to try their food too, so I ordered the garlic pretzel bites.
The Dirty Soda Shack is definitely something you want to try if you haven’t yet. With the quick accessibility and kind customer service, there’s no reason not to. If you’re a big soda drinker like most people now, you might find yourself there a lot. If it’s not your thing, then you’re down four dollars.
