Since late August, hundreds of University of Arizona students have discovered what people in Utah have known for years; the joy of dirty soda. 

By adding creamer, flavorings and a variety of purees to a basic soft drink, soda becomes a destination.

Fiiz, one of Utah’s top “dirty soda” shops, introduced the concept to University of Arizona students when it opened in late August at 904 E. University Blvd., in the former Dunkin’ Donuts space.

“We are extremely excited to add Fiiz to our tenant mix on University and look forward to their success,” said Alexis Ryland, a property manager for the Marshall Foundation, which owns most of the property on Main Gate. 

Fiiz joined Starbucks and Scented Leaf as the only beverage purveyors along Main Gate. 

Dirty soda is a cheaper alternative to coffee. Fiiz drinks range from $2 to $5, depending on the customizations; the more add-ins, the higher the price. 

Tucson Fiiz franchisee Traver Riggs said it was his wife’s idea during COVID to bring Fiiz.

“My wife wanted a good place to get a drink and there wasn’t anything here like it,” he said.

It took Riggs a couple of years to find a location,  but “when this location became available, we jumped on it,”  Riggs said, adding that it took almost two years to secure the location.

The Tucson location is the first Fiiz without a drive-thru, which took some convincing for the owners in Utah.

“I knew the environment down here and the foot traffic, I knew it was going to work but it took awhile to convince them,” Riggs said. 

Fiiz executives attended the August grand opening. When lines dozens deep snaked around the block, they were blown away, Riggs said.

Fiiz is the second Utah soda chain to enter the Tucson market; Sodalicious opened in Marana in July 2023. 

So what’s the big deal with dirty sodas?

Dirty soda is mixing soda, including Coke, Sprite, Dr Pepper or Mountain Dew, with flavored syrups, creamers and fruit purees. The result is a sweet, cold drink that stands up to Tucson’s heat. 

“With us, we have lots of different syrups and mixtures that you can get, but it’s the experience. From the minute you walk in the door, we want to make sure that we welcome them in and that they feel that we are happy that they are here,” Riggs said.

At Fiiz, customers can customize their drink or go with a pre-set menu of concoctions. The two most popular drinks are Sharks in the Water, made with Sprite, blue raspberry and gummy sharks, and Berry Bad Doctor, made with Dr Pepper, coconut, vanilla cream and raspberry puree. 

“We are constantly running out of supplies, but that’s a great problem to have because we are constantly selling out of stuff,” Brayden Riggs said. 

Sharks in the Water, which is on the kids menu, has become a favorite of UA students.  

“I ran out of sharks for a couple of days,” Traver Riggs said. “I had five pounds of sharks that I went through in a week and a half.”

Riggs said he hopes to open additional Fiiz locations in Tucson. 

“I really think it’s just the beginning,” he said. 

Fiiz is open from 8 a.m-10 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 8 a.m-midnight Fridays, 9 a.m-midnight Saturdays and 10 a.m-7 p.m Sundays.

Arizona Sonoran News is a news service of the University of Arizona School of Journalism.