Faced with a permanent loss of a decades-old menu fixture, Schwartz’s moved to a locally made black cherry soda. The venue says customers have largely embraced the switch, a sign that the change has not driven away the deli’s regulars.
The episode underlines how rising input costs and distributor decisions can sever long-established supplier relationships, even when a product has been a staple for decades. For Schwartz’s, the loss of the US-made cola closed off one supply stream and opened another, giving a local maker a presence at a high-profile Montreal address.
The practical outcome is straightforward: patrons will now find a locally produced black cherry soda on the menu where the US brand once appeared. The replacement appears to have been accepted by the deli’s clientele, and for now the locally made drink fills a gap left by disruptions in imported can production.
