As a Diet Coke enthusiast (I know, I know, aspartame is really bad for me. — I get it), I’ve had a heart-breaking few years. While you’ll never have a problem finding Coca-Cola products in your local pop aisles, more and more restaurants have been switching from Coke to Pepsi. It’s been happening at such a staggering rate that there must be an amazingly good price attached to it. One of the few holdouts in the restaurant cola wars was McDonald’s. But it looks like that almost wasn’t the case.
Last year McDonald’s did a test market trial run of Pepsi beverages in several of it’s US restaurants. The full Reuters story can be found here. It turns out that they didn’t sell as well as was expected, so the chain is going to stick with Coca-Cola products. THANK. GOD.
Have any restaurants in your area made the switch? Does it drive you crazy when you order a coke and they say “is Pepsi ok?” Where does your cola loyalty lay?
I usually like pepsi and buy only pepsi! I don’t know why! But at Macdonalds, I don’t mind the coke at all! I am used to it there! It actually tastes really good there! I don’t know why it doesn’t taste the same at home!
WOW!!! I love mc’ds fountain soda….I can’t imagine a switch..Bet there was money involved to cause even the consideration…
I prefer coke to Pepsi. Pepsi tastes a lot sweeter, and has more of a coppery taste to it than Coke. Plus, if you check the nutrition values, coke is *marginally* better than pepsi, with fewer calories.
i love pepsi !!! but fountain pop is way better no matter what kind it is
I went to Newfoundland a couple of years ago and was not able to find a restaurant that served Coke. Its a myth that Quebekers want a mae west and a pepsi for breakfast. we like Coke in Quebec.
I like Pepsi myself. Though I don’t mind the coke at McDonalds.
I preper Coke but If I want to have a soda , I dont care if they don’t have coke but Pepsi.and aspartame is bad if you drink 20 drinks a day. If you drink 2-3 drinks in a month than its OK.{well , I read it somewhere}.
My answer to is Pepsi is okay is always – No thanks, water please. I’m a committed diet coke addict.
I prefer coke to pepsi unless its fountain pop, and then I don’t care. I LOVE fountain pop.Why does it taste so much better? My husband thinks I’m nuts when I say that.
I won’t drink Coke from a can or bottle unless I have no alternative. I much prefer Pepsi. Fountain pop doesn’t taste the same though. I don’t find the difference between the two to be as noticeable in fountain pop.
I love Diet Coke…Diet Pepsi is way too sweet!!
..and I know what you mean about restaurants changing brands…Harveys used to sell Coca-cola products…now it’s Pepsi all the way…
Harvey’s makes a hamburger a beautiful thing…then spoils it by serving Pepsi…
Yay for McDonald’s bucking the trend!!
I read in a study that Pepsi taste sweeter than Coke. Therefore people prefer Pepsi in Pepsi challenge, in which you only take a sip. When drinking it for an extended period. Most people prefer milder taste. Even when the consumer clearly prefers stronger taste of Pepsi, they often don’t consume as much as Coke drinkers due to the sweetness.
So now, I add water and ice to Pepsi.
@liz. But some places don’t know how to mix their fountain. Sometimes, they smell like bleach. It really depends on where you go.
BTW, does anyone have problems with Coke Zero? It is supposed to have less aspartame, thus better for you. But I cough every times I drink it!
Pepsi is nasty.
As for restaurants switching to Pepsi from Coke, I see it the other way around.
Pizza Pizza just switched to Coca Cola recently as a matter of fact.
FIX YOUR DAMN COMMENT FORM!!! I’M TIRED OF BARELY BEING ABLE TO SEE WHAT I AM TYPING!!!
The bottom line with aspartame is for whatever reason it simply doesn’t work. Study after study shows people who drink Diet colas instead of regular colas are not losing weight and in fact often are gaining more weight.
Although no study is conclusive my hunch is that aspartame slows down your metabolism thus causing you to burn your calories from food slower.
Not to be mean but next time you are at the grocery store just watch the pop aisle for a while.
The majority of people who drink Diet Pop are overweight
I LOVE Pepsi. I can’t stand Coke. I am the one who always asks if they carry Coke or Pepsi, and if Coke is the answer, I ask for Gingerale.
Pepsi is, in most cases, a lot cheaper for the restaurants to carry. I used to serve at a restaurant that switched from Coke to Pepsi, and we had a lot of angry customers. As if it was my fault that the entire franchise decided to change!
As for the aspartame thing, it actually does slow down your metabolism. They’ve had a lot of problems with it throughout the years, and are actively trying to find an alternative. Splenda is trying to take over the market, but I’m sure we’ll find lots of problems with Splenda down the road. For now, aspartame is one of the worst things that you can put in your body. You’re better off to drink pop that’s full of sugar (does less damage to your system).
I prefer Pepsi to Coke, but will drink either – not a huge deal! I was in Blockbuster last night and noticed they have replaced their Coke fridges with Pepi fridges and were clearing out the coke products for 99 cents each. Not a bad deal for gatorade actually!
I love Pepsi, and in a can is best. I don’t understand those of you who love the fountain pop, I find it really watered down.
Funny story for you about Pepsi and Coke. When my husband was a little boy there was a corner store near his grandparents house that a old man ran, and for whatever reason, the man called all pop Pepsi. My husband says that when you asked for a Pepsi the man would reply: “What kind of Pepsi do you want my son, Coke?” I’m not sure if this speaks to the popularity of Coke or Pepsi but we still laugh at that one whenever we ask for a Pepsi anywhere 🙂
It would of been awesome had they of switched to Pepsi IMO, then maybe i’d actually drink more then just the darn iced tea.
I’m a Pepsi drinker – if it’s not available, I’ll order coffee, tea or water & lemon.
Coke is the best Pepsi is to sweet
It’s divided in our household, so I wind up drinking both Coke and Pepsi sometimes. I prefer Pepsi and my hubby likes Coke.
At home we prefer canned drinks to bottled. I have never liked the switch from glass to plastic and for many reasons. Yes, I heard those “torpedo” stories of bottles exploding and so forth but it never happened to anybody I know. Too often you crack a fresh bottle now they’re plastic and it just doesn’t have the fizz it should. Many restaurants can’t mix a decent fountain drink but seem to have an easier time getting it right with Coke?
I have never liked any diet drinks with aspertine (how do you spell that?)because the first few times I tried it my tongue felt funny and I couldn’t get used to the aftertaste which seemed to coat my whole mouth long after I swallowed.
Truth be told though, we’ve really cut back on all soda consumption period. I don’t want to get stuck having to stick myself daily with needles contracting diabetes from too much sugar consumption. Warmer months though our consumption does go up a little, but we try to behave.
Gradin123, weight loss isn’t the only reason people choose diet pop. Personally I find that Diet Coke is the only pop that isn’t overwhelmingly sweet and my father will only drink Diet Coke because he’s diabetic and can’t handle the amount of sugar in regular pop.
I prefer Pepsi & Diet Pepsi over Coke/Diet Coke.
Re: McDonalds…I think everything they serve tastes like crap, so why not conitnue to serve Coke, right? Fits the bill!
I prefer Coke over Pepsi but I’ll drink Pepsi. I am so glad to see I am not the only one that loves a good fountain drink!! My husband thinks I am so strange when I tell him that the Coke at McDonald’s tastes better then buying a 2L bottle and drinking that.
Where does your cola loyalty lay?
lay –> lie
Hm, I actually hate Coca-Cola. I’m a fan of Pepsi myself, but when I’m out, I always find it hard to get Pepsi! Everywhere seems to serve Coke ’round these parts. =\
I was an avid diet pop drinker for almost 7 years.
Now I have stomache problems and am on meds to heal it. I kept getting horrible pains, quit any ‘fake’ sugars and the pains have gone away. Really makes me wonder exactly how good ‘diet’ and fake sugars are for our bodies.
Now I indulge in a fully sugared pop when I feel like one and I’m not rolling around in pain the rest of the day. Guess its not the best for my hips, but Ill take the extra cushion over horrible pains.
COKE – all the way!
As a Coke and Pepsi shareholder I’m happy whichever one you drink. 😉
OB
*is a shareholder of coke and apple so KEEP DRINKING and buying apple products PLEASE 😀 lol
But i prefer coke pepsi has A WEIRD metallic taste and gives me sugar high for some reason
I love Pepsi. I definitely prefer it over Coke. On the other hand, I’m beginning to dislike McDonalds (not because they serve Coke) because they are becoming so expensive, Harvey’s is much better quality and now the same price!!!
My answer depends on which side of he border I’m on. In Canada, I prefer Pepsi to Coke, but it’s not a big enough deal that I’ll drive across town to get a Pepsi if my Mickey D’s only comes with Coke.
In the States? You couldn’t pay me enough to drink Coke. It rips my throat up from the overuse of HFCS, and I actually can’t drink more than one glass in two days without feeling like I’ve tried drinking steel wool. I have, any number of times, gone to McDonald’s and gotten my cheap and easy food – then driven over to Arby’s to get a Pepsi. Of course, more likely I’d skip going to McDonald’s entirely. Probably a ton better for me in the long run (Pepsi improves my health because I eat less McDonald’s and go to Buona Beef instead?)
(also, agreed, haluska, $15 for two at McDonald’s or at Harvey’s… All about Harvey’s – at least there the bun isn’t greasy when the burger gets to me!)
snopes did an article about aspartame, and how its not true about the effects..
PEPSI is sooo much better than Coke. My issue is when restaurants ask if COKE is ok…..NO! It’s NOT! Then I order water. Pepsi is sweeter and has a stronger cola taste.
Pepsi is way better than Coke!! But all fountain pop is disgusting, and so is MacDonalds.
Looks like Pepsi is winning hands down.
I’m a Pepsi person but I did like the small 7oz bottles from the pop machines when they were ice cold.
Coke is clearly superior in every single way. Pepsi is just way too sweet. Yuck!
You think the Cola companies want the truth about aspartame to come out? They try to fight every study done.
But looking at the snopes report on aspartame the one topic they have no rebuttal of is that the use of aspartame actually doesn’t help with weight loss and in fact causes weight gain.
All of their reports debunk the cancer causing and health effects of aspartame but none debunk its ineffectiveness in its primary goal of weight loss.
If people drink Diet Colas because they prefer the taste that is fine. But if they drink it because they think it helps them avoid weight gain then they are fooling themselves and in fact they may be making thinks worse for themselves.
… and so the Cola Wars raged on, claiming more innocent victims every day. So tragic.
To ”Me”
I’m not saying its about anything I’ve read about aspartame, I was just saying what It did to me. Maybe I had an adverse reaction after long term use i’m not sure. All I know is I will NOT eat anything with fake sugars any longer.
Goooooooooooooooo pepsi!!!
My hubby works for coke and I prefer pepsi!! He gets choked when I put Pepsi in the shopping cart!!LOL !! Although that coke zero is pretty good and I have been drinking that lately.
Sally maybe you took me the wrong way? i wanst aiming my comment towards you i was just saying that it doesnt seem to have truth…. i have no idea if its been a cover up or what not.. just that snopes did an article about it! either way i like the taste of diet coke I dont use it for weight loss, so i guess im safe.
http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/aspartame.asp
I Prefer Pepsi Myself, i was annoyed when subway switched from Pepsi to coke, almost all fast food places have coke. would have been nice to get a nice Pepsi at McDonald’s.
pepsi and coke are the most dishonest organizations in
the world
can’t even win a prize under the cap have to beg internet!