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Topic: Coca-Cola FREESTYLE...the future of bad soda

Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99

posted 09-02-2013 10:16 PM

quote: Mike Blakesley
No, no.....a five gallon tank of postmix gets you six gallons of product. The mix is 5/1.

Well, I screwed that up...what I meant to say was that ONE gallon of postmix gets you six gallons of product. So, a five-gallon BIB yields 30 gallons of soda.

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Randy Stankey
Film God

Posts: 6539
From: Erie, Pennsylvania
Registered: Jun 99

posted 09-02-2013 11:54 PM

These things were just installed in a local hotdog joint. It's a summertime institution around here and it's right at the entrance to Presque Isle State Park so it gets a lot of tourist business.

I was there on the day after they were installed and I noticed that the lines for people waiting for drinks just about doubled. It takes people twice as long to pour a drink as it does with a normal soda fountain.

First, the damned thing is like playing a video game. People stand there, stare at it and press a couple virtual buttons while they decide what they want to drink. As mentioned, the touch screen doesn't work very well. People often have to push two or three times to get it to activate.

Next, they have to look underneath to see where the ice comes out. Then they have to look to see where the soda comes out. Then they have to push the button in a completely different location. They spill ice cubes and slop their drinks.

Finally, the confined opening prevents more than one person from accessing the machine at a time. On a normal machine, a person who wants Coke can pour while a second person gets Sprite. Can't do that on these Freestyle things.

I can't imagine what the cost to produce these machines is. Can't imagine any less than $10K. Then, you have to add maintenance. Probably requires a service contract. Then, on top of that, you have to buy product in proprietary cartridges? Those can't be cheap. Yes, I know that most places don't pay for their dispensers if they sell enough product but I bet the prices for those cartridges is a lot more, per drink, than regular BIBs.

I agree with the others. Drinks from these machines don't taste the same.

If you add all these things up, the only good reason for having them is because the kiddies think they are fun to play with.

Here's the bottom line: I don't want to play a fucking video game! I want to drink my Coca Cola!

If you are in the theater business, you want to get customers out of the concession lines and into their seats so they can drink their drinks, eat their popcorn and watch their movie. The better and faster you can do that, the more happy customers you have.

You don't want your customers standing around playing video games.

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Jarod Reddig
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 513
From: Hays, Ks
Registered: Jun 2011

posted 09-03-2013 12:39 AM

Joe I agree McDonald's fountain Coke is my favorite too.

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Buck Wilson
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 894
From: St. Joseph MO, USA
Registered: Sep 2010

posted 09-03-2013 02:58 AM

I personally don't have an issue with the Freestyle machines, however, I will let the machine 'flush' for 3-5 seconds right down the drain before I put my cup into the stream and fill it. Gets rid of the previous person's disgusting diet concoction.

My favorite flavor is Orange Sprite.

All that being said, I wouldn't even consider a Freestyle machine in a theater I was operating.

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Dennis Benjamin
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1445
From: Denton, MD
Registered: Feb 2002

posted 09-03-2013 09:20 AM

My soda flavor of choice is Dr. Pepper.

The great thing about that is - whether or not you have Coke or Pepsi - you can have Dr. Pepper.

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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."

Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 09-03-2013 10:36 AM

Yesterday, my girlfriend and I visited a new Qdoba Mexican Grill location that opened in Lawton last week. Lo and behold they had a couple of these things installed:

I didn't know the freestyle machines were available in a silver and white color scheme. The ones I saw at the Santikos movie theater were red and white (typical Coca-Cola colors).

I agree with Randy about the design of these machines creating an inefficient flow of customer traffic. It would be foolhardy for a theater or any other business to install only one of them. A business would need a second machine at the very least as a backup while one is resupplied with drink cartridges. The Santikos theater I visited had probably a couple dozen of the machines scattered around the complex.

One positive aspect about the machines: counter personnel don't have to be bothered refilling customer drinks while the shows are running and can concentrate on other tasks. Or it gives the theater management another reason to have fewer employees on the clock.

Regarding Qdoba, it's pretty decent, but not as good as Chipotle. The queso-steak burrito I ordered cost nearly $8, compared to $6.99 for a burrito at Chipotle. And the Qdoba burrito wasn't nearly as big as a Chipotle burrito. My memory on this is accurate because I ate at Chipotle 3 times last week when I was in Colorado Springs. Eating another burrito a day later at Qdoba would draw an accurate comparison. The restaurant has some of the same contemporary decor as Chipotle. But I don't think the company is nearly as quality conscious over the food ingredients. They do have a wider variety of menu items though.

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Joe Redifer
You need a beating today

Posts: 12859
From: Denver, Colorado
Registered: May 99

posted 09-03-2013 02:16 PM

Thanks for the explanation on all of that Brix crap, guys! Adolph Brix would make a great villain in a Die Hard movie.

Looking at Bobby's photo, it looks like the ice dispenser is in the back, the liquid nozzle is towards the front (press the button to run the nozzle?). But where is the credit card slot/money intake? Otherwise any bastard with a cup can use it. This makes sense in a place like Q*Doba but at a theater people like to smuggle stuff in. No issue folding a cup up! At least it has a mode for disabled people... somehow.

Bobby, we also ate at Chipotle. Next time you're up here we'll eat at the original, very first Chipotle ever. I will take a picture of you there so you can post it on social media where people will think it's Photoshopped because nobody ever has awesome experiences like that in real life.

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Chris Slycord
Film God

Posts: 2986
From: 청주시, 경북도, South Korea
Registered: Mar 2007

posted 09-03-2013 02:38 PM

quote: Dennis Benjamin
The great thing about that is - whether or not you have Coke or Pepsi - you can have Dr. Pepper.

Every place I've seen that uses Coke has Pibb and no Dr Pepper.

Although, I just found out that in Europe, Dr Pepper is bottled by Coke. Weird.

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Paul Gordon
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 580
From: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Registered: Aug 2005

posted 09-03-2013 02:40 PM

Speaking of the old premix soda keg days I have to tell you those kegs are perfect for home brewers. 20 L kegs, easy to clean and and fit a carboy of beer perfectly. Thats what I use at home and always have beer on tap in by 35mm screening room, fuck pop. BTW those self serve machines suck, its downloading work to the patron, if I'm paying $10 for a movie ticket then $5 for a pop I want someone to pour the drink for me. I hate the world, give me a beer.

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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."

Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 09-03-2013 03:29 PM

quote:
But where is the credit card slot/money intake? Otherwise any bastard with a cup can use it. This makes sense in a place like Q*Doba but at a theater people like to smuggle stuff in. No issue folding a cup up!

Yeah, the Freestyle machine I photographed at Qdoba was next to one of the doors. Somebody could pop in there, fill his cup and leave before any of the counter personnel clear on the other side of the restaurant could react. But if the soda pop tastes bad that might cut down the level of theft.

The opening on the front of the machine is large enough someone could stick his head in there and drink directly from the nozzle.

I can imagine videos uploaded to YouTube of college frat boys picking up one of their buddies off the ground and moving his face under the nozzle, "shotgun it, bitch!" Maybe covert government operates could waterboard a suspected terrorist using a Freestyle machine. A scary, but sweet, refreshing experience!

quote: Chris Slycord
Every place I've seen that uses Coke has Pibb and no Dr Pepper.

Are you just talking about movie theaters? I've seen lots of restaurants, convenience stores and other outlets serving soft drinks that offered Coca-Cola and Dr. Pepper.

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Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99

posted 09-03-2013 03:36 PM

quote: Bobby Henderson
But if the soda pop tastes bad that might cut down the level of theft.

There's another selling point for the Coke brochure!

A recent issue of Boxoffice has an article about the Freestyle saying that a person being able to get the exact drink they want is what "creates the ultimate moviegoing experience." Talk about over-hyping your product.

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Randy Stankey
Film God

Posts: 6539
From: Erie, Pennsylvania
Registered: Jun 99

posted 09-03-2013 03:58 PM

quote:
I can imagine videos uploaded to YouTube of college frat boys picking up one of their buddies off the ground and moving his face under the nozzle, "shotgun it, bitch!"

... as his head hits the ice lever causing a shower of ice cubes to rain down on his face!

Would be funny to see! [Big Grin]

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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."

Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 09-03-2013 04:19 PM

Waterboarding with ice cubes. That might make a person give up state secrets!

That kind of soda fountain drinking would have the "freestyle" label live up to its name. Stick your face in there and hit the button. When one of the staffers approaches just say you're freestyling it. If the staffer grabs you to eject you from the premises warn him you're freeballing it.

I wish the drink nozzle and ice dispenser was more visible. I think it's a design flaw. Customers have to stoop to see where the nozzle is to avoid spilling sticky pop all over their hands and parts of the Freestyle machine.

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Randy Stankey
Film God

Posts: 6539
From: Erie, Pennsylvania
Registered: Jun 99

posted 09-03-2013 04:39 PM

... and further increasing the operating cost of this already too-expensive machine.

From what I have read, the lease costs $300.00 per month not including the cost of the product.

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Mark Hajducki
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 500
From: Edinburgh, UK
Registered: May 2003

posted 09-03-2013 04:40 PM

quote: Mike Blakesley
being able to get the exact drink they want

Does it let them choose the strength of the added flavours (Coke with a hint of orange rather than a full dose of orange flavour)?

That combination could be made using a standard fountain by mixing Coke and Fanta together (available pre-bottled in some European countries).

The only draught drinks vending found in UK convenience stores and petrol stations is coffee supplied by Costa Express machines (Costa have more UK coffee shops than Starbucks). These machines are also touchscreen operated, some give a choice of flavoured syrups, and take some time to make the drinks.

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