Swig ‘dirty soda’ shop now open in Clinton
Customers order “dirty sodas” at the new Swig soda shop near I-75, Exit 122, in Clinton on Sunday (March 8). (photo:G. Chambers Williams III )
After originally opening its doors opened to customers on Jan. 20, the store closed Jan. 29 because its signs had not yet been installed, District Manager John Dougherty said Monday.
Although the city of Clinton issued a sign permit for the business on Feb. 2, the sign company did not install them until last Friday morning (March 6).
The store then reopened shortly after the signs went up Friday afternoon, Dougherty said.
With about 30 employees, Swig is open 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday, and 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday. It’s closed on major holidays.
Still being planned is the store’s grand opening, which originally was scheduled to be on Jan. 30.
“We’re still working on a date for that,” Dougherty said.
To help introduce the business to the people of Clinton, Swig plans to offer free drink and cookies to those attending the grand opening.
The Clinton store is the second Swig location in Anderson County, The first one opened in Oak Ridge, at 848 Main St. W., last July.
“Dirty soda” refers to Swig’s signature carbonated soft drinks that are mixed with flavored syrups, along with ingredients such as cream or half and half, and fruit purees.
Clinton is the Utah-based company’s sixth location to open in the East Tennessee area since June 2024, when it opened its first store in Alcoa.
Since then, other Swig shops have opened in West Hills off Kingston Pike in Knoxville, Hixson (Chattanooga) and Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, (also the Chattanooga area).
Clinton issued a building permit on Dec. 3 to Swig’s franchise owner, Taylor Hayden, for the interior remodeling work, which was done by Real-Time Construction, LLC, of Powell.
Dougherty said a seventh area Swig location is under construction in Johnson City.
The local franchisee, based in Knoxville, has the rights to 25 locations, most of them in East Tennessee, he added.
“We’re excited to be coming to Clinton,” Dougherty said in December. A native of Rocky Top, he is a graduate of Anderson County High School, and said he has been with the company since last year.
Swig was founded in St. George, Utah, in 2010, and in the past three years has been expanding beyond Utah, with the East Tennessee franchisee among the newest to build stores.
Along with its designer menu of specialty sodas, Swig sells fresh-baked chocolate-chip cookies and sugar cookies, and pretzel bites. Hot chocolate is also available.
The Clinton location has inside service and limited seating, along with a drive-through window behind the store. The drive-though has a personal touch: a store employee positioned outside takes the orders and relays them inside, and drivers then move forward to the pickup window.
Swig is next door to Megan Nails and two doors down from Firehouse Subs, both in the same building.
Swig was founded in Utah, mainly to offer an alternative to Starbucks as a non-alcoholic, coffee-free treat for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), who generally abstain from drinking coffee, tea and alcohol.
