Do you choose a place to eat based on whether they serve Pepsi or Coke prod

[gll99]

Many restaurants serve fountain drinks and this tends to distort brand preference because they are often watered down and rarely taste like the original.

In order of favorite pop, bottled or canned.

#1 Classic Coke
#2 Diet Pepsi (imo, best diet cola drink especially when it's really cold)
#3 Coke Zero (tastes a bit like regular Coke only slightly behind the #2 spot held by Diet Pepsi)
#4 Regular Pepsi (In restaurants when no Coke available, we don't often buy it for home use)
#5 Cream soda but only at home.

Hate Diet Coke, worst drink, it lacks substance, it has no initial flavor but then has a bad after taste and doesn't taste like Coke at all. They should get rid of this one and just keep Coke Zero they are like night and day.

I don't choose a restaurant by soft drink brand but the price might stop me from going there. I order coffee at least 7 out of 10 times unless it's a fast food joint.

[yoda313]

Two honorary mentions for me are pepsi one and cherry pepsi. Pespi One is great and pretty heavy tasting for a diet pop. Mind you coke zero is also pretty good in that respect. I just can't get enough of cherry pepsi sometimes when I get on that kick.....

[Midzuki]

Speaking of Coke and Pepsi, here in Brazil there are
two clones of Coca-Cola --- namely, Dolly-Cola and Bacana-Cola.
Both are cheaper and better than the original, JMNSHO.

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[thecoalman]

I don't believe I've ever seen RC in a fountain set-up though...

You see them in my neck of the woods.

Many restaurants serve fountain drinks and this tends to distort brand preference because they are often watered down and rarely taste like the original.

They are all "watered" down, the soda comes in a concentrated formula and is combined with carbonated water at the fountain.

[Conquest10]

I don't believe I've ever seen RC in a fountain set-up though...

You see them in my neck of the woods.

You used to be able to see them here but now restaurants that serve RC (and the ones that do so do so exclusively) just use the cans. It is still very common here (mostly on the south side as the yuppies up north don't seem to know what RC is)

Many restaurants serve fountain drinks and this tends to distort brand preference because they are often watered down and rarely taste like the original.

They are all "watered" down, the soda comes in a concentrated formula and is combined with carbonated water at the fountain.

Yup, there are bags of thick syrup that are hooked up to the machine. When you push for the soda, it mixes the syrup with the water to give you the drink. That's actually the way it was meant to be drunk. Remember the soda jerk?

[gadgetguy]

Many restaurants serve fountain drinks and this tends to distort brand preference because they are often watered down and rarely taste like the original.

They are all "watered" down, the soda comes in a concentrated formula and is combined with carbonated water at the fountain.

Yup, there are bags of thick syrup that are hooked up to the machine. When you push for the soda, it mixes the syrup with the water to give you the drink. That's actually the way it was meant to be drunk. Remember the soda jerk?

Yes, but the ratio of syrup to water is inconsistent from one establishment to the next, but in most cases the mix is too light on the syrup and too heavy on the water. That's why I always order my Coke with no ice. No sense watering it down further. Most annoying is to order a Coke and having it come with so much ice that you can see all the way through the glass.

[Xylob the Destroyer]

It's just negligence/laziness.
I worked in the food service industry for many long years and quickly mastered the art of getting the mix correct (being a total caffeine fiend and lover of soda in general). Pepsi and Coke both supply the kit and instructions to test and set the mix.
I think most people just assume that the machine is ready to go -- this is not the case as the mix is adjustable on each little dispenser and some sodas require a different mixture ratio.

[gadgetguy]

Maybe so, but it's funny how the error always seems to allow the syrup to last longer...