Skyline Chili switches from Pepsi to Coca-Cola, upsetting Mountain Dew fans

Skyline Chili customers are sounding off on social media about a major soft drink-related change at their favorite chain.

On March 18, the Cincinnati-style chili restaurant chain announced that, come April, it will start serving Coca-Cola products instead of the Pepsi products it had been pouring for years.

“Power Couple Alert! We’re thrilled to announce that we have officially partnered with @CocaCola!” Skyline Chili wrote. “Soon you’ll be able to enjoy your favorite Coke products with your Skyline Coneys and Ways starting this April!”

Skyline says its decision to make the change was due to many factors and not related to the Pepsi brand itself.

“Ultimately, it became clear that Coke was the right choice for Skyline and best for the Skyline business,” a Skyline representative tells TODAY.com.

Additionally, a press release states that when Skyline’s first restaurant opened in Cincinnati’s Price Hill neighborhood in 1949, Coke products were served at the counter, so the chain is technically returning to its roots.

Here’s the full list of Coca-Cola products Skyline will be offering in April: Dr. Pepper, Diet Dr. Pepper, Coke, Coke Zero, Diet Coke, Sprite, Cherry Coke, Fanta, Minute Maid Lemonade, Mountain Berry Powerade, Mello Yello, Barq’s Root Beer, Barq’s Red Crème Soda and Iced Tea.

Reaction to news of the switch was mixed on social media While some responded positively, with one X user calling it “awesome news,” many others focused in on the exit of a certain neon-colored beverage.

“Mt. Dew and coneys were a match made in heaven. I may never recover,” one person commented on Instagram.

“Nah skyline and a mtn dew are the power couple,” wrote another.

“Mt. Dew and a 3-way, the perfect pairing ... Will rethink my lunch choices,” commented someone else on Facebook.

“Noooo!! Skyline is best with a crisp mtn dew 🥺,” added another.

“L , you’re telling me I can never have a mtn dew with skyline again, I’m very very sad,”  posted one X user.

For its part, the chain says it did anticipate this type of response — and assured some worried fans that Skyline will still serve Dr Pepper, which is not owned or distributed by Coca-Cola or PepsiCo in America.

“We weren’t surprised by the reaction, especially regarding Mountain Dew. We know Mountain Dew is a popular pick by Skyline customers,” the Skyline rep says. “However, we feel confident that they will find a new favorite in our new Coke offerings.”

The rep also points out that its Coke products include the Mountain Dew alternative, Mello Yello.

Skyline Chili, which has 138 locations in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and Florida, is known for its Cincinnati-style cuisine. Menu items include Coney Island hot dogs (aka “Coneys”), as well as Cincinnati chili, a Mediterranean-spiced meat sauce served as a topping for hot dogs or spaghetti as “3-Way,” “4-Way” or “5-Way.”

This is not the first time in recent memory that a Midwest chain switching from Pepsi to Coca-Cola riled up longtime customers. In January 2023, Culver’s announced it would be switching from Pepsi to Coca-Cola products, causing several people to sound off across social media, with one saying the news “ruined (her) entire day.”

This article was originally published on TODAY.com