‘Our fans have an obsession with beverages’: McDonald’s jumps on ‘dirty soda’ trend from TikTok and ‘Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’

Fast food chains, thirsty for new ways to grow, are amping up their beverage offerings. Mc Donald’s said Tuesday it will launch six crafted beverages in U.S. restaurants on May 6. It’s joining other chains, like KFC, Wendy’s and Taco Bell, that have elevated their drinks in order to lure customers away from rivals like Starbucks and Dutch Bros. Mc Donald’s will offer three refreshers, including a mango pineapple flavor with strawberry boba and a blackberry passion fruit flavor with freeze-dried dragon fruit. It will also offer three crafted sodas, including a dirty Dr Pepper with vanilla flavoring and a topping of cold foam. McDonald’s said visual appeal — think bright colors and foams — and drinks as a form of self-expression are increasingly important to customers. McDonald’s said visual appeal — think bright colors and foams — and drinks as a form of self-expression are increasingly important to customers. That instinct tracks closely with what’s gone viral online: TikTok has been a major engine behind the rise of so-called “dirty sodas” — carbonated drinks customized with flavored syrups, creams, and toppings — and visually arresting drinks more broadly. Yelp searches for Swig, the Utah-based chain credited with popularizing the dirty soda format, surged 78% after The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives — a reality show that featured cast members sipping the drinks — debuted on TikTok and other platforms, while searches for “dirty soda” jumped 1,289%, according to Yelp data. Restaurant industry research firm Technomic called “dirty soda” the fastest-growing search term on its menu-tracking platform over the past year, up more than 636%. Experts say TikTok’s influence on the category is rooted in aesthetics: the platform rewards drinks that are colorful, layered, and photogenic — exactly the kind of beverage McDonald’s and its fast-food peers are now racing to offer. “Our fans have an obsession with beverag