The Pursuit for Dr Pepper in Loyola Dining Halls

Every Oct. 24 brings an alluring holiday — one sorely neglected by Loyola students. However, I can’t fault my dear peers for their crime, as Loyola makes no effort to help them celebrate it. 

This holiday is commonly known as National Dr Pepper Day, and the best way to acknowledge it is by drinking the aforementioned beverage.

However, this task is uncommonly difficult for Loyola students. Instead of being able to grab a nice, cold glass of Dr Pepper in one of our lovely dining halls, they must trek off campus to purchase one themselves.

This situation last week was both tragic and heartbreaking, and it made me realize something — Loyola’s dining halls are in desperate need of a Dr Pepper revolution.

The addition of this fizzy refreshment to our current Coca-Cola-brand soda machines has the potential to transform and elevate meal times. Students would have the option to enjoy the sweet-yet-spicy flavor of this beloved soda any time they want, pairing Loyola’s culinary creations with something other than four variations of Coca-Cola and a few other boring beverages.   

The university wouldn’t regret this decision. The people love their Doctor. 

It’s the second most popular soda in the U.S. as of 2023, according to CNN, after it clawed its way up and slipped past Pepsi to sit behind Coca-Cola. 

This rise in favor is due to the brand’s one-of-a-kind taste as well as its effective and charming marketing strategy of utilizing digital spaces, such as frequently posting Tiktoks advertising the drink. They meet their fans where they are, and it’s time for Loyola’s dining halls to follow suit. 

Additionally, Dr Pepper is our favorite soda’s favorite soda — evident by Coca-Cola’s futile attempts at achieving Dr Pepper’s delicious taste. 

Shortly after Dr Pepper was proclaimed a “non-cola” in the 1960s, Coca-Cola launched Mr. Pibb in 1972 to combat the mania surrounding the peppery pop. Yet, Mr. Pibb was no match for Dr Pepper, and eventually rebranded as “Pibb Xtra” in 2001 with a slight change in flavor in an attempt to distance itself from the superior drink. 

While Coca-Cola was chasing after Dr Pepper’s addictive flavor through both Pibb Xtra and, later, its failed Coca-Cola Spiced, Dr Pepper was making a name for itself and solidifying a place in our hearts. 

It’s time to let Dr Pepper shine in the dining halls. The introduction of the drink’s divines could quench students’ thirst in ways never before seen, with its unique lip-smacking bite. We must make haste in admitting this it girl to our establishment, freeing ourselves from the reign of basic beverages.