Polly Campbell: Coke back at Frisch's. Here's what it means

Polly Campbell | Cincinnati Enquirer

Show Caption Hide Caption Frisch's is making a BIG switch This is not just another vanilla media announcement.

When NRD Partners bought Frisch's Big Boy in 2015, they might not have quite realized what they were getting along with a restaurant chain.

They were buying a piece of Cincinnati's heart, a small piece of many Cincinnatians' childhoods, a restaurant with plain food but an almost ritualistic relationship with the city. They had to tread carefully as they modernized and revamped the chain to become a profitable investment.

Some changes seemed a little iffy: Putting Big Boy on a diet to lose some of his chubby kid fat, new graphics and signage in stores. But they did well by coming up with variations on the Frisch's theme, like a pumpkin spice NOT fudge cake. And they opened a restaurant Downtown.

More: Frisch's restaurants bring back Coke

Some people did complain that the menu had been shortened, or that they thought some dishes didn't taste quite the same. There were concerns about the mincemeat pie disappearing. But in general, they pretty successfully walked the line between Classic Frisch's and New Frisch's by returning to the chain's history for the inspiration behind the changes.

But there remained one thing they could do that would make them not just acceptable substitutes, but actual heroes of the traditional mid-price casual Queen City diner segment: Bring back Coke.

The Maier family, who had always run Frisch's since grandpa David Frisch opened the first Big Boy restaurant in 1947, had decided to go with a contract with Pepsi instead of Coke, which they'd served for 50 years. Presumably, it was a better financial deal. It was not even controversial, it was just plain unpopular.

Now, some people think that one dark, fizzy high-fructose corn syrup-sweetened drink is pretty much the same as another, and that the choice between Pepsi and Coke is illusory. Those people are apparently wrong.

If you've been drinking a Coke with your Swiss Miss since you were a kid, there is a particular space in whatever part of your brain remembers flavors and connects them to feelings that can only be satisfied with the same brand. Being offered a Pepsi would be like being given a Ho Ho when you asked for a Ding Dong. No, more like being given Skyline when you wanted Gold Star.

And, since a lot of people have an even more passionate affair with Frisch's Coke with a shot of vanilla or cherry, the exact recipe is paramount, including the soft but crunchy ice, which no one has yet been heretical enough to change.

So congratulations to CEO Jason Vaughn and his management team for finding just the right gift for their customers. They may be from out of town, but they got it right.