PepsiCo Beverages North America is placing Pepsi Prebiotic Cola in more than 200 Drybar franchise shops nationwide throughout September, giving the brand's newest functional-beverage SKU an in-service sampling channel that sits outside conventional foodservice and retail. Guests at participating locations receive complimentary pours of Original Cola and Cherry Vanilla varieties during appointments — a zero-cost trial moment the company is using to accelerate awareness ahead of peak-calendar fall occasions.
The Activation Structure
Beyond the in-shop pour, every Drybar guest this month receives a take-home discount code — PEPSIPREGAME — good for 30% off Pepsi Prebiotic Cola purchased on Amazon through October 31, extending the sampling window into an e-commerce conversion play. New Drybar clients who apply the same code at online booking unlock a $30 blowout, effectively using the beverage partnership to drive franchise trial on both sides. The mechanics are straightforward: low friction for the operator, measurable lift potential for PepsiCo through a tracked promo code.
Functional Cola's Broader Bet
Pepsi Prebiotic Cola launched earlier this year as a reduced-sugar alternative built around functional ingredients, positioning PepsiCo against a fast-growing better-for-you carbonated-beverage segment that has drawn investment from brands including Olipop and Poppi. Placing the SKU in Drybar's 200-plus unit footprint — part of the WellBiz Brands franchise portfolio, which spans more than 750 locations across beauty and wellness concepts — gives PepsiCo access to a captive, wellness-oriented consumer who is already in a service-purchase mindset. "With Pepsi Prebiotic Cola, we set out to give people another way to enjoy the Pepsi taste they love — one that reflects how they're thinking about beverages today," said Sara Garner, Senior Director of Marketing at Pepsi.
For non-traditional foodservice operators, the activation is a reminder that beverage brands are increasingly looking to beauty, fitness, and wellness franchises as sampling venues — spaces where dwell time is high and the service environment implies premium positioning. WellBiz Brands Chief Marketing Officer Michelle Devore framed the fit in operational terms: a fall schedule spike means clients are booking blowouts as a self-care moment, and a complimentary functional beverage shifts the perceived value of the appointment.
From a channel-strategy standpoint, PepsiCo's decision to layer an Amazon e-commerce offer on top of an in-person sampling program reflects how large beverage suppliers are stitching together physical trial and digital conversion in a single campaign architecture — a model that franchise-based personal-service concepts are increasingly attractive to underwrite, given their reliable foot traffic and consistent unit economics. For foodservice operators and franchise groups evaluating beverage partnerships, the Drybar deal illustrates how branded beverage suppliers can offset in-location product costs with co-marketing value, particularly when the venue delivers a defined consumer profile rather than broad walk-in traffic. Coverage of functional-beverage trends in the foodservice channel and franchise development activity has tracked rising operator interest in exactly these kinds of structured brand partnerships.
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 Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
