Arby's switch to Coke products from Pepsi is hard for some fans to swallow

Arby's love of Pepsi was once so strong that it apologized to the beverage brand with a 30-second commercial. Now, the love is gone and that's leaving some Arby's fans livid. Arby's said back in August that it planned to switch from serving Pepsi-Cola carbonated soft drinks to Coca-Cola ones, but restaurants only recently began converting their soda fountains to Coke products from Pepsi ones. Back in late 2014, Arby's issued an apology spot to Pepsi as a make-good after forgetting to feature Pepsi in at least two spots that year. The ad, from Fallon, showcased a glass of Pepsi for 30 seconds and reworked Arby's "We have the meats" tagline to "We have Pepsi." Now, though, Arby's has Coca-Cola. "After conducting a thorough and highly competitive review of our previous beverage contract, which concluded early this year, we ultimately decided to transition to The Coca-Cola Company," Arby's President Rob Lynch said in a statement. "We expect the conversion in our restaurants to conclude this summer." When the move was announced after more than a decade of pouring Pepsi it didn't receive too much attention. Now, though, patrons who have gone to restaurants that have switched are noticing, and some are unhappy. Dear @Arbys, I literally stopped a drive-thru order midway though and left when I saw that you had sold your soul to Coke. I can't have Arby's without a @pepsi. You've lost a long-time customer. @Arbys I feel betrayed that you switched from Pepsi products to Coke. I'm going to visit Arby's less now, because drink selection matters and I like Mt. Dew. Some people are happy with the change, which ties together Atlanta-based Arby's and Atlanta-based Coke. Passed an important test this morning and the Arby's by my house has Coke products. You figure out which I am more excited about. pic.twitter.com/7pHGcjC4BI And some are just taking it with what seems to be an appropriate dose of humor. Just found out the hard way that Arby's switched to coke products. Devastating. Curly fries and Mountain Dew is a staple to the American diet. No one wants to get fat and die on Mello Yello. Many of the country's largest chains, including McDonald's, Subway, Burger King, Wendy's and Chick-fil-A, serve Coke products. Taco Bell sells Pepsi drinks. Arby's parent company, Inspire Brands, bought Buffalo Wild Wings earlier this year. Buffalo Wild Wings switched from Coke to Pepsi products in a deal that began in early 2014. It was not immediately clear whether the move at Arby's would lead to similar changes at Buffalo Wild Wings.

Arby's switch to Coke products from Pepsi is hard for some fans to swallow

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