Before there was a cocktail bar on every corner, there was the soda fountain—the marble-topped counter where a "soda jerk" pulled effervescent tonics for health, refreshment, and a little theater. That format is quietly staging a comeback, and for beverage operators hunting a point of difference, it's worth a serious look.
As America marks its historic anniversary, Gina Chersevani, owner of the nostalgic bagel-and-booze emporium Buffalo & Bergen in Washington, DC, is helping revive one of the country's most overlooked cocktail traditions: the soda fountain.
Twelve Years Building the Bridge Back
Chersevani has spent twelve years reconnecting today's drinker to that heritage. Since opening the first Buffalo & Bergen in Union Market—built as a classic soda counter—she's worked to pull the format back into the spotlight. The inspiration is personal: her mother's childhood memories of Brooklyn pharmacies.
At the heart of the operation is a rare vintage 1930s Bastian-Blessing soda fountain, which Chersevani uses to craft new takes on counter staples—egg creams, floats, malts, and natural sodas—alongside inventive cocktails.
Her command of the "jerking" technique gives her precise control over carbonation's pressure and stream, unlocking new possibilities for texture, mouthfeel, and taste. A strong garden-to-glass philosophy runs through the menu: beets, shiitake mushrooms, and gentian root, layered with different styles of soda water, become boldly original drinks.
A Uniquely American Origin Story
Soda fountains first appeared in American pharmacies in the late 1700s, dispensing effervescent mineral waters for health and wellness. During Prohibition, they became cultural hubs, with bartenders trading the bar rail for the "jerk"—until bottled soda and Repeal in 1933 pulled the two traditions apart for good.
New Orleans' Deep Pharmacy Roots
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 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 pays homage to the 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 5 p.m. ritual built around absinthe-based drinks, with the classic Death in the Afternoon leading the lineup.
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 lands at the intersection of two powerful currents: rising demand for non-alcoholic and low-proof options, and the enduring pull of nostalgia-driven, experience-first hospitality. Here's the practical read:
- A built-in NA and cocktail crossover. Egg creams, floats, malts, and house sodas give beverage programs a compelling zero-proof menu that carries real margin and story—while the same techniques scale into craft cocktails.
- Differentiation through craft. Garden-to-glass sodas made from beets, mushrooms, and gentian root signal culinary seriousness and lean into functional, better-for-you flavor trends without a mass-market can in sight.
- Theater sells. The visible "jerking" ritual at a counter turns service into a show—a proven driver of check averages, dwell time, and social sharing.
- Heritage is a marketing asset. A documented pharmacy or soda-counter backstory, as Gautreau's demonstrates, gives a venue a defensible identity that's tough for competitors to copy.
The takeaway for buyers and beverage directors: you don't need a 1930s Bastian-Blessing fountain to participate. Start with house-carbonated sodas, a couple of signature floats or egg creams, and a story worth telling on the menu.
The Bottom Line
Soda counterculture proves that the freshest ideas in beverage often come from reclaiming what we forgot. As drinkers keep gravitating toward craft, nostalgia, and moderation, the soda fountain is well positioned for a second act.
For more on how operators are rethinking their drink programs, read our look at the new economics of craft beverage programs and how smart beverage partnerships are setting the standard. Is the soda fountain a trend you'd bring to your bar? Tell us 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.
