In dining halls across campus, the rivalry between the south’s two great soda giants — Coca-Cola and Pepsi — has a decisive winner in Pepsi, as the line of blue drink dispensers in Russell House firmly attest.
The North Carolina beverage company won a five-year contract with USC, which will grant exclusive retail space in dining halls and net the university at least $2,000,000 over the next five years. These funds will, in part, go to supporting food service on campus.
USC put out a request for proposal (RFP) in May, asking any interested parties to submit a bid for the contract.
A month later, Pepsi brands appeared in dining halls across campus — from Gibbes Court Bistro to the Honeycomb Café.
Coke, however, still has a prominent presence on campus; sports games and vending machines will stock Coke products for the time being, as those two areas are regulated by separate contracts.
If Pepsi wants to dominate the entire campus with their products, they’ll have to wait a few years — USC’s vending and sports contracts will come up for renewal in 2018 and 2017, respectively.