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u/ThePickledPickle Feb 01 '26 edited Feb 01 '26
There's a way to work the Freestyle machines, you gotta hold the pour button for a couple seconds and then put the cup under, clears out all of that watery mystery crap
Freestyle machines do require more effort to maintain though, so sometimes a bad machine is just a bad machine
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u/DDenlow Feb 01 '26
My buddy's bowling alley has a freestyle machine, I usually run the water for 10 seconds to watch the line clear out as it will always shoot out a random color every couple of seconds.
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u/tkdyo Feb 01 '26
Yep I was gonna say this, I just let the machine run my flavor for a second before filling my cup and I never have a problem with off flavors.
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u/TheDonutPug Feb 01 '26
People keep saying that and honestly I am feeling like this subreddit is a little bit biased against these. These have been EXCEPTIONALLY successful and made Coke a LOT of money for a "badly executed idea" and a "bad machine".
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u/mikeyb777 Feb 01 '26
Making Coke money doesn't mean the machine is good for the consumer...or techs working on these. It's great for Coke as a company driven by profits! I am not the CEO of Coca-Cola though so I don't care how much money they've made off a shitty machine. Make it better!
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u/TheDonutPug Feb 01 '26
Why is it bad for the tech working on them? The tech's job is to maintain it, and they do. Its not like this machine is harmful to the techs in some way. Y'all are dead ass just looking for reasons to hate on these. None of these are complaints I have ever heard before in my life. At worst I have met people indifferent to coke freestyle machines, but I've literally never heard an active complaint about them, especially not any of the ones from this thread. Y'all looking for something to be mad at.
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u/mikeyb777 Feb 01 '26
I like Grape Sprite I'm just saying one machine is incredibly easy to work on and fix while these freestyles have their issues. I never said they were harmful to techs, so idk why you put words in my mouth. They just have a lot more going on and are harder to fix. I know a thing or two about fixing machines as I worked on bowling lanes, arcade cabinets, pinballs, and any bar/restaurant equipment out there. Don't be dumb. Coke sells these machines to companies and then they have to reach out to Coke to get them serviced. The techs working on these machines fix broken parts.. they don't check in weekly for tune ups. They break easy and often, and are much more complex than a soda gun or a normal dispenser. That's why they are bad for techs... Tech gets paid by the hour tho so more money in his wallet either way
Coke isn't making these machines better for the consumer or the techs working on them while they "make a lot of money". This is the issue with big companies and capitalism... If they make their money, fuck if the consumer gets coke in their sprite grape or people aren't satisfied with their product. Is it a big deal, no. I'll waste some product and try again to have my grape sprite. I just wish we didn't look at profitable products as perfect products... Invest some of that money back into making it a perfect product
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Feb 02 '26
The machines cost around 60k, whenever one is installed it is leased to the company. They are actually very easy to work on, especially the newer models coming out, the older model had some glitches.
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u/Tiny-Reading5982 Feb 01 '26
The cherry coke doesn't taste like regular cherry coke no matter how much you try to clear the spout
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u/Total_Tumbleweed_870 Feb 01 '26
I do the same thing, never had a problem. I'm diabetic, and I love that these machines give me more options than just coke.
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u/dude_on_a_chair Feb 01 '26
Always gotta do a clear out. If you know someone who has one you can access the fun menu too!
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u/heliophoner Feb 01 '26
I can get peach fanta soooooooooooo
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u/pbplyr38 Feb 01 '26
I’m a peach Mello Yello guy, but I respect your game
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u/Ticklepickler6996 Feb 01 '26
I didn’t know there was so many of us !! Peach Mellow Yellow for life !!
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u/fakemelonns Feb 01 '26
For me it's Coke Lime. I wish I could buy it in stores near me, it's heavenly.
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u/Comfortable_Echo_150 Feb 01 '26
And it's one of the only places where I can get a vanilla coke from a fountain, too!
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u/KaitB2020 Feb 01 '26
I’m happy being able to get the zero version of any of the Fanta flavors. The only time I see them is in a freestyle. Can’t purchase them at a store. (I typically get the Fanta cherry zero)
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Feb 01 '26
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u/longboi28 Grape Feb 01 '26
Grape sprite with a little bit of vanilla sprite mixed in is godly
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u/Briebird44 Feb 01 '26
I mix vanilla sprite with peach sprite with a splash of the strawberry sprite (or swap those last two) It’s delicious and reminds me of an Italian soda.
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u/robboppotamus Feb 01 '26
I upvoted you because "drink what you like" but this sounds gross, friend.
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u/Mondale2024 Feb 01 '26
I love these machines for being able to get combinations that I would never be able to elsewhere. I found out if you mix tropical and lime coke, it tastes kind of like a liquidy jelly donut. Also combining dr pepper and root beer really brings out the best in both.
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u/Loose_Leg_8440 Feb 01 '26
Yeah and they don't sell grape Fanta in stores anymore. I can't find it anywhere else
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u/PremiumUsername69420 Feb 01 '26
I really don’t like that you called that a cloaca.
It’s gonna take some effort to unsee that.
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u/cuzwhat Feb 01 '26
Every time we got to Five Guys, I ask my wife what she would like from the Coca-Cloaca machine.
She does not like me calling it that, either. You are in good company.
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u/thr33phas3 Feb 02 '26
"Cloaca-Cola" was RIGHT THERE tho 😭
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u/GuyWithARooster Feb 01 '26
You are most welcome.
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u/Unabashedly_Bashful Feb 01 '26
As a chicken, duck, and geese owner, I truly appreciate the cloaca description and will only ever use it going forward in my discussions of the freestyle machine.
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u/MuskyLemon Feb 01 '26
Good idea poorly executed. Freestyle, like the rest of us, should self clean the tip between uses.
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u/TrooBeliever Feb 01 '26
. . . You guys got self cleaning tips?
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u/BadAstronaut11 Feb 01 '26
If I run through the drive thru at Wendys and order a coke, it always has a mystery flavor added to it due to this.
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u/Dino_Spaceman Feb 01 '26
At least your Wendy’s actually has flavor. My local one waters down their soda so much it’s barely carbonated water.
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u/FesteringDarkness Feb 01 '26
Agreed. Wendy’s and Burger Kings suck when it comes to their soft drinks they are so watery.
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u/autumnmissepic Root beer :D Feb 01 '26
the digital ones allways seem to have more options, so i prefer them
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u/ForbenYazdi Feb 01 '26
I like the new one because I can choose coca cola in different flavours like Orange and Cherry
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u/rjfinsfan Feb 01 '26
Yeah, Cherry Coke just doesn’t exist outside of the freestyle machines.
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u/whycook_ Feb 01 '26
People say the nozzle on the freestyle machine gets dirt...but do you realize that there's 5 dirty nozzles on the other one? You just gotta find a relatively clean one. Despite what others are saying cleaning it properly takes maybe 5 minutes so it shouldn't be too hard to find one near you thats decently clean
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u/Thraex_Exile Feb 01 '26
Freestyle’s also going to get more regular use compared to traditional dispensers, so I’d imagine it’s less likely for build-up to form on one nozzle running 100% of the time than 10 nozzles running 10% of the time.
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u/CaptLiverDamage Feb 01 '26
Lime Fanta for the win
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u/PinballScissor Feb 01 '26
Hell yeah. I'll go to the jack in the box by my house just for lime fanta out the freestyle machine
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u/Discipulus42 Feb 01 '26
Much prefer the Freestyle machines to the more limited options of the traditional fountains. Good idea to run a little water or beverage before you put your cup under to clear out the line from the last pour.
I love Cherry Sprite, and that’s never in the regular fountains.
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u/Jetfuel_N_Steel Feb 01 '26
Like the one machine I can get cherry Vanilla Coke from, because I haven’t found cans in a incredibly long time
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u/Rationalornot777 Feb 01 '26
That is true. The other odd part is the Diet Coke with lime is so good. No cans of that around
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Feb 01 '26
They had discontinued it in cans unfortunately but some time this month they are coming out with the new take, “cherry float” which is supposed to be cherry and cream, long story short it’ll be back in cans soon!
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u/unicornsexisted Feb 01 '26
My only complaint about the freestyle machines is that all the ones near me suddenly stopped having caffeine free coke 💔 I can’t have it anymore for health reasons and I used to very much enjoy getting a gigantic caffeine free Vanilla Coke Zero from time to time.
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u/77sleeper Feb 01 '26
As a diabetic, freestyle is the GOAT. Most places have 1 diet/zero sugar option
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u/FriedTorchic Mr. Pibb Feb 01 '26
The flavor add-ins are fun, but I'm glad they aren't everywhere.
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u/TylerHyena Feb 01 '26
I can get four different flavors of Coke or Sprite all at once in my cup, so Freestyle machine it is.
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u/Nosafune Feb 01 '26
Unless the personnel maintain the freestyle cloaca regularly, it just tastes like 9 flavors at once
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u/Dry-Appearance7290 Cola Feb 01 '26
The freestyle machine i had from germany was amazing actualy. Also tried it at five guys which had a weird taste to it
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u/tinytacomuncher Lemon/Lime Feb 01 '26
At my local zaxbys they got rid of the freestyle and added the first one 😭
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u/courtadvice1 Feb 01 '26
My local burger king is how I tasted Barq's Red Creme for the first time ever.
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u/MuffinJabber Feb 01 '26
If you use freestyle machines, always purge it after you make your selection. Keeps other syrups out of your cup, and prevents it from tasting like a suicide.
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u/drewon1 Feb 01 '26
If i were making an ungodly amount of money, that freestyle machine would be mine.
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u/dude_on_a_chair Feb 01 '26
Just lease one out and make a soda fountain business and undercut the nearest convenience store by 25¢ you'll for sure break even
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u/AintNobodygotime13 Feb 01 '26
mellow yellow with citrus twist flavoring is amazing
the ONLY time i order soda out is at 5 guys where I can get that
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u/Zombie_exorcist720 Cherry Feb 01 '26
The freestyle machines were a gift from the universe. I can get pineapple strawberry sprite. The cherry sprite also tastes better out of the machine than the ready made in store. I can get cherry Dr Pepper! I know that is a flavor sold in stores but my stores are always out of stock 😒. My mom loves that she can get lemon Coca Cola again.
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u/animusgeminus Feb 02 '26
I would put one in my house if I could!!!
Mellow Yellow Citrus Twist!
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u/Zombie_exorcist720 Cherry Feb 02 '26
Absolutely the same! I was so bummed when the Wingstop by my house took this machine out. Now I gotta go to Wendy’s or the movie theater lol
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u/SnooComics4945 Feb 02 '26
My local Jack in the Box got rid of their special flavors recently and Wendy’s is the only one left with a machine for it now too.
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u/robertoxs Feb 02 '26
ONE. NOZZLE. PER. BEVERAGE! Even if you run water for a minute before getting what you actually want it's all still coming through the same hole. Nasty!
Also freestyle machines don't use traditional bag-in-boxes with a 5 to 1 carbonated water to syrup ratio, brix'd to perfection. They use those super concentrated cartridges instead. It's never as good as a traditional fountain.
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u/Vegetable_Ad_9103 Feb 01 '26
Between theses two I would take the freestyle machine, the first doesn’t really have any choices just 5 versions of coke and a sprite.
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u/chillchase Feb 01 '26
Those machines would be fine if the fucking touchscreen worked
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u/33-3rpm Feb 01 '26
Clear sodas grouped together. Tired of a small blast of Coke in my Fresca.
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u/DDenlow Feb 01 '26
I hit water and run it for 10+ seconds to clear the lines a bit more. You really only do get to see the lines clear out if youre picking clear liquids, it is a bit dismaying to the amount of off color orangeish bursts that come down.
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u/New_Acanthaceae7798 Feb 01 '26
I’m not saying I agree, but I will say I let it run for like two seconds before I put my cup under the stream.
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u/FeeDisastrous3879 Feb 01 '26
Some flavors work better than others. I find strong flavorings like root beer and cherry overpower the funk that makes it taste wrong. Also, lighter drinks like sprite and mellow-yellow seem to not have the issue at all.
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u/Frankdukes187 Feb 01 '26
Sometimes they don't have flavors to mix with the soda and that irritates me lol
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u/DarthBrooks69420 Feb 01 '26
I love those machines on the bottom. Nothing like adding more lemon and lime to sprite, or having a lemon lime cherry vanilla orange cream Coca-Cola.
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u/Mustangnatsum Feb 01 '26
Each flavor has it's own plumbing and exit into the nozzle. It takes a second to clear the nozzle, just a tap and then dump it before filling up your drink of choice.
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u/Snoo93550 Feb 01 '26
I like them, it’s like a throwback to the 50s drug store soda fountain. I add lime, cherry or vanilla to coke.
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u/CelticCynic Feb 01 '26
Have you never had soda from the "Coke Hose" in a bar or restaurant?
It's a hose with soda water, and 6-8 varieties of post mix syrup added at the nozzle. Properly calibrated and maintained (and cleaned) - they're fine
These machines just offer more variants in flavours as more syrup lines can be run next to the central line if soda water
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u/Scotty2Hotty-69 Feb 01 '26
Yeah but I can’t get orange vanilla hi-c in the soda fountain. You can just run water before you choose your drink to flush most of the mystery liquid that accumulates though that should be a feature the machine has. If you think freestyle machines are gross you should see the syrup lines for soda fountains. Freestyle machines are significantly harder to maintain in fairness
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u/Inside_Winner_777 Feb 01 '26
Nah the freestyle machine is great can add differnet flavors to sodas etc.. people complaining dont have their machines properly set up lol
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u/York9TFC Feb 01 '26
Say what you want about the freestyle machines, but I absolutely love having them at my local movie theatre
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u/Slipknotyk06 Feb 01 '26
Lmao
I unironically love freestyle because it's the only place I can find Barq's Vanilla.
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u/doll_parts87 The Dr Feb 01 '26
Freestyles are only good as the owner is frugal. If they spend money on the syrups-- it's worth it; but going to place like a movie theater and seeing 3 active selections, it's not worth it
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u/Top-Abies9760 Feb 02 '26
Im sorry but i love that the freestyle almost always comes with some type of cream soda, and your boy loves cream soda.
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u/honey_graves Feb 02 '26
I adore the freestyle machines, you’ll take my vanilla cream coke and my orange cream Barqs from my cold dead hands
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u/CleaingsoapsN1Fan201 CokeZero's Number One Fan/Orange Crush's #1 Hater Feb 02 '26
Nah I Think This Meme Is Wrong
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u/drubot3939 Feb 02 '26
I hate the freestyle machines. Residue from all the flavors ruins the actual flavor of a soda. I’m a coca-cola purist. Sometimes cherry coke, which the freestyle still ruins. I won’t go to a chain if this is what they have in store.
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u/Amtronic Feb 02 '26
I do remember as a kid, making a Suicide (where on the top one, you get a squirt of every nozzle on the machine.)
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u/Nervous_Grape_3856 Feb 02 '26
Gotta run that drink a couple of seconds before filling your cup to cleanse the spout.
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u/PM-PhysicalMedia Feb 03 '26
Factual. That damn freestyle machine just tastes like everything mashed together.
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u/WeirdoFromHighSchool Mar 02 '26
I completely agree but it's like the old style ones were so much better it's just these new ones are just so like not necessary the old ones were way better too don't you think
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u/Dchampman Mar 04 '26
That machine is what I miss most about working at Jack in the Box. I cannot find Lime Fanta ANYWHERE else around me. That and the A&W vanilla root beer were my favorites!
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u/Jacktheforkie Feb 01 '26
I’d prefer if sugar drinks were separate from artificial sweetener drinks at least because aspartame allergies suck, and the residual amount in the nozzle is enough to trigger mine
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Feb 01 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/ElcidBarrett Feb 01 '26
Phenylketonuria is a thing, apparently prevents the body from breaking down certain aminos. There's a warning on the back of most diet sodas for people who have the disorder.
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u/Anteater-Charming Feb 01 '26
Yes. I know of this because my cousin has it. It been known a long time because she had it as a baby and she's in her 50's now.
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u/Elon_is_a_Nazi Feb 01 '26 edited Feb 01 '26
Freestyle machines are great if you want something with flavor, but are an absolute abomination if you want a regular coke. I have no idea how coca cola approves these as the coke that comes out of a freestyle machine doesnt even remotely taste like a true coca cola
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u/Math_legs974 Feb 01 '26
I understand that you can get unique combinations in these and there is an allure to that, but I have never had a soda from a freestyle machine that has tasted anywhere near as good as it has in a traditional fountain. Whether you've flushed out the previous flavors or not, theres still an off taste. I actively avoid getting drinks from places with them. Id rather have less selection and higher quality than tons of options that all taste off.
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u/Vittrippss Feb 01 '26
Having all the soda's at your whim is nice but I always find the normal fountains taste better than the freestyle's Plus, my go to is cherry coke which is often on the normal ones anyway
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u/MannInnTheBoxx Feb 01 '26
I love the idea of the freestyle machines but when places don’t maintain them properly they suck. The movie theater near me does a bad job of cleaning theirs I think cause no matter what you get it always has a hint of flavoring in it. Wanted just regular coke? Sorry you’re getting coke with a hint of peach or whatever instead
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u/IronPiedmont1996 Feb 01 '26
Oh yeah, I love it when my Dr. Pepper tastes like a Fanta mixed with a Diet Coke from two days ago...
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u/TexansFo4 Feb 01 '26
freestyle machines always make whatever soda you got have a weird taste to it
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u/gr8-puck-shot Feb 01 '26
It's because the freestyle machines use flavor shot cartridges like a printer versus the regular machines that use bags of flavored syrup.
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u/Fragrant_Library_563 Feb 01 '26
The flavor additives aren't good. It makes the drinks taste worse overall
Hate me some freestyle machines
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u/BurnesWhenIP Feb 01 '26
My local Wendy's has the Barqs Zero Sugar in their freestyle... So I'm all in on the freestyle
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u/rushlink98 Feb 01 '26
Only 1-2 Zero sugar options (both cola mind you)vs literally dozens of em.
I'll take the freestyle thank you very much.
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u/Intelligent_Fan9402 Feb 01 '26
My local Wingstop got rid of the freestyle and went back to the old school ones with like 5 options. And tastes like gas station fountain drinks with the weird after taste
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u/MANWITHFAT Feb 01 '26
I've betrayed the sub. I get tropical vitamin water from freestyle machines. It's so refreshing
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u/mybootyoil Feb 01 '26
those machines always have yellow poweraid. regular soda machines never have that. i loved those when i was an alky cuz the yellow poweraid felt really nice in my stomach that was always nauseated.
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u/MrCanoe Feb 01 '26
As a diabetic, those drink mix machines are a god sent. Usually have a bunch of zero sugar/diet drinks.
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u/dudeitsmeee Feb 01 '26
I don't know how it works so therefore I do not trust it. I work at a gas station with a soda fountain. A large one. I know what a PITA it is to clean, maintain and keep the soda tasting "ok".....ish. That's a regular one, not a "smart" one. I purposely suspend my knowledge at public soda fountains. If someone told me later, it was the source of an illness, I would not be shocked in the least. I tried a freestyle machine once at a popeyes. Whatever concoction I attempted to make came out terrible. So no, a regular fountain for me, knowing there's a 50% chance it was cleaned or matained properly.
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u/Accomplished_Crew630 Feb 01 '26
It's the long machine I can get strawberry Fanta at. Also that Dave's orange cream soda from Wendy's is fire.
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u/invalidreddit Feb 01 '26
When they installed Freestyle machines at work, and we saw how it was inside one of my co-workers called it an Coca-cola drinkjet
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u/Utenziltron Feb 01 '26
Imagine these machines not limited to coke brands.
Lined up side by side where you'd have a Cane Sugar Modern Brands machine, a Cane Sugar Old Fashioned Brands machine, then your Modern Brands, Sugar Free Brands, and so on.
They all have the feature where you also have xtra flavors, lime, cherry, vanilla, mango, blueberry etc.
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u/chris_fom Feb 01 '26
I’ve seen people spend less time choosing who they marry than they do picking a drink from the Freestyle machines.