Subway will replace Coca-Cola products with Pepsi in 2025
Pepsi has edged out Coca-Cola in the Subway soda wars. The sandwich chain will no longer serve Coca-Cola products, but instead, Pepsi, the company announced. It's a reversal from their previous commitment to Coke.
Subway has signed a 10-year deal with PepsiCo that begins in 2025 and will serve that brand's beverages like Mountain Dew, Gatorade and Aquafina, said the company.
"The partnership with PepsiCo is an exciting milestone in our journey to become America's favorite place to eat, drink and work," Doug Fry, president of Subway, North America, said in a press release. "It is a win-win for everyone, as it brings a delicious suite of beverage and snack choices to our guests, driving additional consideration of these menu items, while also providing cost-effective, streamlined solutions to our franchisees."
The introduction of Pepsi products will begin on Jan. 1, 2025, and roll out in all U.S. locations over several months.
In 2003 Subway signed a 15-year deal with Coca-Cola to serve its beverages at stores worldwide. As the deal ended, the chain began to stock Pepsi products again — especially at Subways in international markets like Canada, Germany and the Netherlands. Its U.S. menus feature Coca-Cola products like Diet Coke, Sprite, Vitamin Water and Dasani. There are nearly 37,000 Subway locations in more than 100 countries.
The decision to switch brands is based on "guest preferences across demographics," the press release reads. The change is expected to "provide additional value to franchisees, including all new beverage equipment provided to restaurants."
In a statement to CBS News, a representative for Coca-Cola said: "For nearly twenty years, the Coca-Cola Company has proudly served Subway restaurants in the U.S. We are committed to serving Subway through the end of this year and will remain focused on delivering value for Subway, their franchisee partners, and consumers."
CBS News has reached out to Pepsi for comment.
Subway also extended its partnership with Frito-Lay through 2030. The snack brand's chips, like Ruffles and Baked Lays, are sold at the chain.
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Caitlin O'Kane is a New York City journalist who works on the CBS News social media team as a senior manager of content and production. She writes about a variety of topics and produces "The Uplift," CBS News' streaming show that focuses on good news.