The most talked-about beverage format in hospitality right now isn't a THC seltzer or an adaptogen elixir. It's more than 200 years old — and it's making a comeback behind a marble counter and a hand-pulled tap.
As America marks its historic anniversary, a small but influential group of operators is reviving one of the country's most overlooked cocktail traditions: the soda fountain. Leading the charge is Gina Chersevani, owner of the nostalgic bagel and booze emporium Buffalo & Bergen in Washington, DC — and her twelve-year campaign to put the soda counter back in the spotlight is looking less like nostalgia and more like a roadmap for beverage programs everywhere.
How the Soda Fountain Became Cool Again
Chersevani opened the first Buffalo & Bergen in DC's Union Market as a classic soda counter design, inspired by her mother's childhood memories of Brooklyn pharmacies. At the heart of the operation is a rare vintage 1930s Bastian-Blessing soda fountain, which she uses to craft new takes on soda counter staples — egg creams, floats, malts, natural sodas — alongside inventive cocktails.
What separates her program from a retro gimmick is technique. Chersevani has mastered the "jerking" method, giving her precise control over carbonation's pressure and stream. That control unlocks new possibilities for texture, mouthfeel, and taste — the kind of craft differentiation operators are constantly chasing.
A strong garden-to-glass philosophy runs through her work, too. Beets, shiitake mushrooms, and gentian root — layered with different styles of soda water — become boldly unique drinks that bridge the natural-soda movement with serious bar craft.
A Format With Deep American Roots
Soda fountains first appeared in American pharmacies in the late 1700s, dispensing effervescent mineral waters marketed for health and wellness — a wellness-beverage pitch that feels remarkably current. During Prohibition, fountains became cultural hubs, with bartenders trading the bar rail for the "jerk." It was bottled soda and Repeal in 1933 that finally pulled the two traditions apart.
New Orleans Keeps the Pharmacy Legacy Alive
It would be remiss not to mention New Orleans' own place in the soda fountain story. The modern French-inspired restaurant Gautreau's opened in 1983 in a building with a deep pharmacy history. It was built in 1911 as Jahn's, a Dutch pharmacy, and later became home to the Marsh family's pharmacy starting in 1941.
Since a 2023 ownership transition, Executive Chef Rob Mistry has shaped Gautreau's into a dining experience that merges his Parsi heritage with classical French training, all while preserving its intimate, jewel-box atmosphere. Pastry Chef Jeremiah Dixon nods to that soda counter history with a signature dessert — the Caramelized Banana Split — an elevated, deconstructed take on the classic, built with banana bread pudding, homemade banana ice cream, and a sour cherry gel.
Next door, Gautreau's neighboring cousin Avegno takes on the same pharmacy inspiration with L'Heure Verte, or the "Green Hour" — the historic 5PM ritual built around absinthe-based drinks, with the classic Death in the Afternoon leading the lineup.
And the city's soda fountain legacy runs deeper still: in the 1970s, New Orleans' own Katz & Besthoff drugstores were behind the invention of the Nectar Cream Soda, a homegrown flavor that's remained a local favorite ever since.
Why It Matters
For operators, the soda fountain revival is more than a charming throwback — it's a strategic lever hitting several trends at once:
- Non-alcoholic revenue. Egg creams, floats, malts, and natural sodas give bar programs high-margin, zero-proof options that appeal to the growing sober-curious market — without sacrificing craft credibility.
- Experiential differentiation. A vintage fountain and a live "jerking" technique turn beverage service into theater, driving social sharing and a reason to visit that a bottled product can't match.
- Garden-to-glass storytelling. House sodas built on beets, mushrooms, and botanicals let kitchens use surplus produce, control cost, and tell a local-sourcing story guests increasingly expect.
- Heritage as a marketing asset. As Gautreau's and Avegno show, a building's history — or a homegrown flavor like Nectar Cream Soda — becomes a menu narrative that deepens brand identity.
The practical takeaway: you don't need a 1930s Bastian-Blessing to participate. Adding a signature house soda, an egg cream, or a nostalgia-driven float can refresh a beverage menu, capture the no/low crowd, and create a distinctive point of difference at a fraction of the cost of a full cocktail buildout.
The Bottom Line
The soda fountain never really died — it just went bottled. Now, forward-thinking operators are reclaiming it as a craft, wellness, and experience play all in one glass. Whether you lean into a vintage counter like Buffalo & Bergen or a single signature pour, the format is ripe for reinvention.
Exploring how to reengineer your beverage program for margin and menu innovation? See our coverage on the new economics of craft beverage programs and creative drink recipe ideas for more inspiration. Would a soda fountain concept work in your operation? Weigh in and share your take in the comments.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine’s “Top 40 Under 40” for founding American Wholesale Floral. Politz is also the founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
