RIP Sierra Mist: You Were a Real One

Let's come together and offer a hearty RIP Sierra Mist. PepsiCo has discontinued the lemon-lime soda in favor of a new offering.

The news broke last month, and NBC10 reported on it:

“At PepsiCo, we are hyper focused on consumer centric innovation, and we know there’s a strong demand for lemon lime flavored soda with the category continuing to accelerate,” said Greg Lyons, chief marketing officer of PepsiCo Beverages North America, in a press release. “With one product dominating the category, consumers deserve another option....one that hits different. Starry is bright, optimistic, and rooted in culture and fun.”

Translation: Sprite, owned by Coca-Cola, has been kicking Sierra Mist's ass in the arena of clear, citrusy, carbonated beverages. So out with Sierra Mist and in with Starry, I guess?

Wow. That's cold. Literally.

Sierra Mist debuted in 1999, just as I was graduating from Northeastern University. From the jump, it was a head-scratcher to me. I already had Sprite and 7-Up in the cooler at my local convenience store. Why would I need a third lemon-lime soda option? I was never much of a lemon-lime soda guy to begin with. Soda was a fast-food thing for me, and it was always either a Coke or a Dr. Pepper to go with my burger and fries.

But then Sierra Mist started popping up at some of the fast food joints I frequented. So I tried it. It was all right! Paired well with chicken sandwiches to my underdeveloped, early-20s, junk food palate. So it was good to have a third alternative after all. I have a feeling that the death of Sierra Mist will hit Gen-Y and Gen-Z harder than it's hitting me, as there's that 2000s nostalgia tied in to the brand. But hey, now we have Starry, right? Might have to give that one a try.

Fast food in Massachusetts is plentiful, just as it is across the United States. But what fast food chains are the most popular in Mass?

Gambling.com asked the question recently, and they came up with this list: The Most Popular Fast Food Rankings in the Bay State. You can visit Gambling.com's Massachusett's page here. And we'll dive into the list below, which certainly had some chains you'd expect (the No. 1 will come as no surprise), but also had a few unexpected entries.

First though, a little bit of my own pontificating. I'm of the mind that, when you ask someone what their favorite fast food joint is, more often than not they'll answer with the chain the grew up closest to. Case in point: when I was growing up in Greenwood, we had McDonald's right on Main St. It was our summer oasis between games of stickball at Greenwood school. From early on, I had a taste for Mickey Dee's. And to this day, I'll still find myself craving the 2 Cheeseburgers Meal. It used to be $2.99 for 2 cheeseburgers, fries, and a coke!

Personal theories aside, how was the research gathered for this one? How were the numbers crunched? Here's how:

The research team at Gambling.com analyzed Google Trends statistics to discover what MA’s favorite Fast Food Chains and Takeout Cuisines were over the past 7 days. Four different fast food related phrases were analyzed on Google Trends to measure the popularity of each Fast Food Chain. Separately, three phrases were used to measure the different Takeout Cuisines. The totals for all phrases were then added together for each chain/takeout type. Finally the Fast Food Chains and Takeout Cuisines were ranked by popularity.

Makes sense to me! So let's see how the Top 20 shook out.

Then: "Time to make the donuts..."

Now: "America runs on Dunkin'!"

Then: The Noid

Now: The Pizza Tracker

"Pan" means bread, so technically it's Bread-era Bread.

It's pronounced "chuh-POWT-lay." Like the pepper.

Then: "Yo quiero Taco Bell"

Also Then: Forthmeal. Remember when they tried to make that a thing?

Two cheeseburgers meal for $2.99 back in the day. A deal you'll never beat.

Amazing to see this placed so high in a state where there's a local sandwich shop on every corner.

Then: "Have it your way!"

Now: Creepy-ass Burger King showing up unannounced, creepin'.

"Grew a mustache and a mullet, got a job at Chic-Fil-A..." - Ben Folds, "Army"

Then: "Finger Lickin' Good!"

Also Then: Norm MacDonald as the Colonel. RIP.

Remember the Popeyes that used to be by Fenway Park?

Then: Chocolate Frosty

Now: Vanilla Frosty

The $5 all-you-can-eat pizza buffet was a gamechanger back in the day.

Bless up to all the Dairy Queens in MA that have to close their doors in the winter.

Are they more famous for the burgers or for the giant bags of peanuts?

To all you college kids who hit your local mall for a faceful of free Panda Express samples to save a little dough: we see you.

Then: "Pizza Pizza"

Now: $5 Hot-N-Ready

Then: Dunking your crust in the garlic butter sauce.

Now: Dunking your entire slice in the garlic butter sauce.

It is "Wing Stop" or "Wings Top?" Asking for a friend.

When Sonic finally migrated to MA about 20 years ago, it was a revelation.