And I’m free….freestylin’

“Now I’m going to pick whatever drink I want. You can help me. I need a lid and a straw, too. It should be pink. Yes, pink lemonade. That’s what want. It’s yummy-schummy. It’s my favorite. I love it. It’s the best in the whole world. I’m going to get the H-i-C! Mommy, what do you like? I want to get the peach bubbly water!”

Safe to say she’s a born Freestyler. She likes her choices and she can pick from so many of them (we veto the caffeine and they hardly ever get to pick their “sugary drinks.” Yes, that’s what they call them!) The Coca-Cola Freestyle machine is popping up more and more in Atlanta. The main screen shows all of the “base” choices you can make, then you delve deeper into the flavors of each option. I really like that they aren’t all soda. I’m not a big soda person and I really can’t do caffeine. Most of the time when I’m out at a restaurant, I get water because there aren’t many other options I like. However, with the Freestyle, I can chose from flavored Dasani or even flavored sparking Dasani water (my favorite).

Like the Sprite comes in 7 flavors in addition to the regular one (like cherry, orange, raspberry, strawberry and grape). Our 6 year old loves it because she can reach the screen and help herself to her drink of choice. Her regular Sprite perfectly complimented her pizza with ham.

 

Our 4 year old was excited that I showed her there is a handicapped accessible button on the front so she could choose her drink without any help from mom, and then dispense it, too. She first picked Hi-C for her cheese pizza (mandarin oranges on the side) and then went to the sparking Dasani with peach flavor added.

 

Mr. Serious tried out several flavors. The Dr. Pepper and the Rootbeer were perfect. He was a little disappointed with the traditional Coca-Cola flavor out of the Freestyle. Maybe the syrup or carbonation was off?

Because it has so many bells and whistles, even the 9 month old was intrigued (she didn’t get anything out of the Freestyle, yet).

I’d recommend letting the drink run a little before putting your cup underneath it. Sometimes you get  bit of the last person’s flavor in your cup. I’d also like the ice dispenser to be next to the fountain because the fountain dripped in my cup as I was passing it through to the ice area. The area is also a little chaotic if the restaurant is busy, but fortunately, this visit we were one of two families there (we were there super early for dinner on Black Friday!)

Each Freestyle machine has a full-color touch screen that allows you to choose over 100+ different brands, including flavors and sodas not available anywhere else; there is literally something for everyone. From sodas and energy drinks to flavored waters and juices, the Coke Freestyle machine has it all. Check out the Freestyle Facebook Page and Website to find the location nearest you; we picked Uncle Maddio’s pizza because we could all get pizza we wanted, too (it was a night all about choice), but note that they aren’t yet on the map.

*Coca-Cola provided a gift card so we could experience the Freestyle. All thoughts are my own.