Dad’s Cookies will offer made-to-order dirty sodas at its new downtown location opening this spring. Adobe stock image
published on February 9, 2026 – 11:10 AM
Written by Ben Hensley
A Utah-born drink trend is headed to Downtown Fresno, with the city’s first dedicated “dirty soda bar” when Dad’s Cookies cuts the ribbon at The Garage later this year.
Dirty soda — a nonalcoholic drink made by mixing soda with flavored syrups, other flavors, and creamers — has surged in popularity over the last several years, taking social media by storm and showcasing specialty soda shops. Now Fresno gets its own version, with made-to-order sodas prepared in front of customers using soda guns, flavored syrups and creamers mixed similarly to cocktails.
Think blackberry vanilla Pepsi or Dr Pepper with lime and cream — combinations that transform familiar sodas into something closer to an Italian soda or cream soda, but with endless customization.
Dad’s Cookies owner Lance Sanchez said he wants to create a bar-like experience without the alcohol — think craft presentation, creative combinations and the theater of watching your drink come together.
A monument sign marks The Garage, a multi-tenant food hub preparing to open this spring along Fulton Street in Downtown Fresno’s Brewery District. Photo by Ben Hensley
“We want to make a dirty soda as if it’s a bar,” Sanchez said. “We want to make it the same style.”
The menu will feature dirty sodas alongside cookies, ice cream and espresso drinks — a combination Sanchez said is designed to work together, creating a dessert destination for families, younger customers and anyone looking for something beyond the typical downtown brewery scene.
Sanchez said the concept also opens the door to collaboration with other food businesses, similar to how local breweries often partner on specialty brews.
“We don’t really look at it like competitors,” Sanchez said. “We look at it as a baking family.”
Dad’s Cookies is one of the tenants at The Garage, a multi-tenant food hub opening at Fulton and Inyo streets near Chukchansi Park. The street-facing location puts Dad’s in position to catch foot traffic from baseball games, festivals and brewery events.
Dad’s Cookies is targeting a spring opening, pending final permits and construction. The Garage will host a preview for its tenants — including Gator’s Smash Burgers, Las Rancheritas and 1320 Street Foods — at FresYes Fest on March 21.