CONCORD — “Dirty soda” sounds like it should come with alcohol. It doesn’t.
Gabriella’s Secret Sips, a Concord-based pop-up founded by 20-year-old Gabriella Schnell, takes everyday sodas and turns them into dessert-style drinks using flavored syrups, creamer, whipped cream and candy. Customers pick the base — such as Coke, Dr Pepper, Sprite or Fanta — and build from there.
“Dirty soda, they’re nonalcoholic,” Schnell said. “We take a base of any soda … (and) we add in flavored syrups, and then we add in creamer, whipped cream on top, candy, all of that.”
Schnell launched the business in October after seeing the trend online and trying it herself on a trip to Arizona. The concept has exploded in states like Utah, where dirty soda shops have become their own niche industry. As a young entrepreneur, Schnell figured North Carolina could support it too.
“I looked at my boyfriend and said, ‘I think I want to start a business. I want to bring this to North Carolina.’”
Instead of opening a storefront, Schnell built a mobile model with low overhead and flexible scheduling. Gabriella’s Secret Sips sets up at festivals, Christmas events, haunted attractions, private parties and corporate gatherings — anywhere a crowd is already there.
“We currently don’t have one set spot,” Schnell said. “We live in Concord, but we travel everywhere.”
The early test came at Boogerwoods, a haunted trail near Kannapolis. Schnell said customers were doubtful at first, but the drinks spoke for themselves.
“Night one everyone was super skeptical,” she said. “But they started trying it and then the word got out.”
Bookings followed quickly. Schnell said she’s worked stretches with events seven days a week, sometimes stacking multiple stops in a single day. Now, she said, the calendar is booked through February.
Some events are standard vendor setups. Private bookings are where it changes — when Gabriella’s Secret Sips is the only drink vendor, the line doesn’t stop.
The operation stays small by design. Schnell runs it with her boyfriend, Caleb Greer, splitting duties between the register and drink-making.
Keeping margins healthy comes down to tight costs and fast service. Schnell said she buys in bulk, uses couponing to cut soda costs and makes regular runs to US Foods Chef’Store in Charlotte for syrups, cups and other supplies.
“We never pay full price,” she said.
She said she’ll buy hundreds of cups at a time and still run out faster than expected.
“We always run out,” she said. “I love to have to go buy more. That means people like what we’re doing.”
Pricing is part of the strategy as well. Schnell said customers have suggested she raise prices, but she wants Gabriella’s Secret Sips to stay within reach — a place families can stop without thinking twice and where anyone can afford to join in.
“We won’t raise our prices,” she said. “We want to be a place that you can afford.”
Regular dirty sodas run $5, she said, with energy drink versions at $6. A larger “bucket” option costs double because it uses two full cans and extra ingredients.
“I would never ask somebody to pay something that I wouldn’t pay myself,” she said.
Schnell said the menu came together through trial and error over about six weeks, and most drinks can be customized. One of her favorites is the Orange Dreamsicle — orange soda, vanilla syrup, French vanilla creamer, whipped cream and orange candy slices. She said top sellers include Shark Attack, Pink Dragon, Long Island and Lemon Lagoon.
She also keeps photos of each drink on her phone so customers can see what they’re ordering — a small detail that helps keep lines moving, especially with kids picking based on color and toppings.
Schnell is already looking at the next stage. She wants to move from pop-up tables to a dedicated trailer this year and eventually a storefront location. Long term, she sees it as a brand that can expand into multiple markets — and potentially beyond drinks.
For now, the focus is simple: stay booked, stay efficient and keep the product consistent.
“We want people to love it,” Schnell said.
