Dr. Pepper Gone From Louisiana Fountain Machines? Here’s Why

(KMDL-FM) There was once upon a time when fast foodies, such as myself, would have to tell the lady or gentleman behind the counter what we wanted to drink with our meal. For a lot of us, that usually meant a Dr. Pepper from the soda fountain machine.

These days, like almost everywhere, companies hire us a free labor to do our own grocery checkout, place our food orders, and gasp, fill our own soft drinks at the fountain. Actually, that last one is not a bad thing.

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That way, you can choose how much ice or how little ice you want. You can decide to mix flavors if you want, and you can have a taste sip to see if the beverage coming out of the fountain tastes like it should. Fans of Sprite will know what I am talking about. That soda, at least to me, never tastes the same way twice at a fountain.

But this story is about Dr. Pepper and not Sprite. As of today, you might find Dr. Pepper at your favorite soda fountain. There was a court ruling last week that ended Dr. Pepper's long-running distribution agreement with Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling. That ruling cleared the way for Dr. Pepper to have full control of its own distribution.

The shift, according to Yahoo Finance, means that some Coke-affiliated fountains could lose access to Dr. Pepper syrup as soon as today. According to Yahoo, those fountains that lose Dr. Pepper will switch to Mr. Pibb, which, in a convenient stroke of well-planned luck, just happens to be undergoing a relaunch this month.

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Did you know that Dr. Pepper was owned by Keurig? The company is actually Keurig Dr. Pepper. I must admit I was sleeping when that transaction took place, but regardless of whether you can't find Dr. Pepper at your favorite soda fountain, that's why.

I would also suggest you give the "new" Mr. Pibb a taste. It's actually being marketed as a source of caffeine for those who need a jolt but don't want coffee. I haven't tasted the new version of Mr. Pibb, but I do remember the older version, from back in the 1970s, reminded me of flat Dr. Pepper. I am sure the tastes have changed.