Posted in: Events, Nerd Food, Pop Culture, Pop Culture History | Tagged: back to the future, Pepsi, Pepsi 125 Diner, Review, saturday night live, super bowl

Pepsi 125 Diner Review: Niche NYC Pop Culture Soda Museum

Pepsi 125 Diner is a unique experience for fans of pop culture and the brand for those in New York City and hotspot in Lower Manhattan.

Published Wed, 25 Oct 2023 10:32:09 -0500

by Tom Chang

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It's surprising, given Pepsi's longevity as an American brand, that it hasn't ventured as deep into branding as a tourist attraction experience as other popular brands like LEGO, Hershey, or even their biggest competitor Coca-Cola. It seems after 125 years, Pepsico finally decided to bring the experience of the brand to New York City called Pepsi 125 Diner, which offers a collage of its most popular advertising campaigns with a glimpse of the changes of the soda over the years. It's also a restaurant offering a variety of soda-infused American-themed dishes on top of its expected drink offerings of the various current incarnations of Pepsi.

Pepsi 125 Diner Review: Niche NYC Pop Culture Soda Museum Experience — Image courtesy of Tom Chang/Bleeding Cool

Going to the opening on October 20th located on 477 Broadway, there are clerks to greet you, and the first attraction you get is the "Pepsi Challenge," which originally started in the 1970s where users blind taste test two sodas and try to guess which one is Pepsi. The atmosphere is donned in the brand's colors of blue, black, and white as the dominant colors; there's a smattering of red, but only as it relates to the logos plastered throughout. Like the typical diner experience, you get the checkerboard pattern of flooring, in this case, blue and white tiles. There's also a blue LED tunnel that takes you to a soda shop while the walls are adorned with fixtures of past drinks and paraphernalia. Past cans featured include the original aluminum cans or its main and diet Pepsi brands; commemorative bottles and large cans from past Super Bowls; a themed pack of various Peep-colored cans; a shelf dedicated to their past alternate flavor brands like Pepsi Free, Pepsi XL, Pepsi One; and a shelf dedicated to Crystal Pepsi.

You can also see collages of past advertising and pop culture references. Before you enter, there are CRT televisions playing classic commercials featuring celebrities like Ray Charles, Alisan Leigh Porter (Curly Sue), Tina Turner, Britney Spears, and Shaquille O'Neal. Absent was one of their biggest endorsements of Michael Jackson, which is understandable due to the late singer's controversial nature. Their images also don the wall advertisements, with each booth reflecting a different theme; one is silver and disco-inspired. People also have the option of getting their picture taken donning gladiator gear in an Ancient Roman setting alongside a chest of Pepsi. The other major pop culture moments of note were the references from the Back to the Future franchise and "The Olympia Restaurant" sketch from Saturday Night Live, where its employees parody the diner restaurant experience offering just "cheeseburger, fries, and Pepsi."

The menu is almost as simple as the SNL sketch, offering a three-course meal that includes an appetizer, entrée, and dessert, all infused with Pepsi. There are three options from the first two and only two for dessert. I had Caleb's New Bern Mac & Cheese appetizer, the "Better with Pepsi" Burger entree, and the Joy of Pepsi Wild Cherry Cheesecake dessert. The food was adequate for anyone and surprisingly not too sweet. Drink offerings were all the current offerings Pepsi had coming in regular or zero sugar varieties. The mango is probably its unique standard offering. There are also cocktails and mocktails for those looking for something extra.

While I understand the need to keep it themed and simple, it would be nice to offer patrons Pepsico's other brands like the lemon-lime Starry, Pure Leaf Teas, or even Mountain Dew. All across several varieties of flavor in their own right. I mean, we have the Coca-Cola Freestyle machines that allow users to mix and match their favorite soda and add their preferred syrup. Pepsi would benefit from a similar setup. It's something to think about in the future. Fans of the brand won't be disappointed, and it makes a great novelty stop if you happen to be in Lower Manhattan. Bookings are available through October 28th and available here.