What happens when you take a cold soda, add a couple of syrups, a splash of cream, turn up the music, and give people a reason to stay awhile?
In Bismarck, you get Drive-In Dirty.
The new dirty soda shop on Walnut Street is colorful, energetic, and intentionally different from a typical drive-thru. But for owner Mike Zuccarello, the drinks are only part of the story. Drive-In Dirty represents something bigger: a fresh start for an overlooked space, a new reason for people to stop in Bismarck, and another step toward creating a place where the community wants to gather.
The idea began with a conversation between Mike and the mayor of Bismarck. Mike saw opportunity in the town's available space and wondered what could happen if some of those empty areas were put to work.
“For the most part, people just pass by Bismarck; they don't stop there,” Mike said.
He wanted to change that.
Drive-In Dirty is Mike's newest venture, but he's no stranger to entrepreneurship. He also owns ZRM Dumpster and Excavation and Bismarck Coffee, where he spent about six months testing dirty sodas before deciding to take the concept further.
The response was immediate.
People loved them.
Construction on Drive-In Dirty began around April, and the shop officially opened July 17. The Bismarck community quickly welcomed the new business, supported by Mike's sister, Michelle, and Isabel Rodriguez, along with a small team of five employees who keep the shop moving.
Designed primarily as a drive-thru with a walk-up window, Drive-In Dirty keeps its menu approachable and budget-friendly. Customers start with their choice of Pepsi products, add up to two syrups, and then decide whether to make their drink “dirty.”
That means adding cream, heavy whipping cream, cold foam, or sweet cream.
The combinations are nearly endless.
For those who don't feel like creating their own, the shop offers a menu of signature drinks. The OG, one of the classics, combines Dr Pepper with coconut and lime. Another customer favorite is the Toasted Dream.
“You can get something that tastes like a root beer float to something that tastes fruity and tropical,” Mike said.
For now, many customers are sticking with the combinations they know, but Mike hopes they will eventually become more adventurous.
And that's part of the fun.
A dirty soda is familiar enough to feel comfortable, but customizable enough to make it your own.
The drinks may be the main attraction, but Drive-In Dirty has a few savory and sweet options to go with them. Customers can grab a personal pizza, a pretzel with cheese, or, for something sweeter, a dessert pretzel with Nutella. The menu has evolved through customer feedback, TikTok trends, and plenty of experimentation by the team.
But Mike's inspiration for Drive-In Dirty didn't come entirely from social media.
His travels have also shaped the atmosphere he hopes to create.
“In France, everyone is sitting outside and just enjoying a drink,” Mike said.
That leisurely, social feeling stuck with him. He doesn't want Drive-In Dirty to be somewhere people simply grab a drink and disappear. He wants it to become a place where people linger, visit with one another, listen to music, and enjoy being out.
“I think the Bismarck community is very welcoming to us, and they appreciate what ZRM is doing,” Isabel shares.
That community response is important because Drive-In Dirty is only one piece of Mike's larger vision for Bismarck.
In the same parking lot, behind the old city hall, Mike plans to build a large pavilion designed to bring people together.
“The pavilion will be used for a mixture of different events, live music, farmers markets, trade shows, things like that,” Mike said.
It's a vision that goes well beyond a soda shop.
Mike sees an opportunity to turn an overlooked area into somewhere people have a reason to visit and perhaps, more importantly, a reason to return.
For a small town, a new business can be more than a new storefront.
It can be a spark.
Drive-In Dirty is already giving Bismarck something new to talk about, taste, and experience. But its greatest potential may be what happens beyond the drive-thru window: more reasons to stop, more places to gather, and more opportunities for locally owned businesses to become part of the community's story.
Eventually, Mike hopes to expand Drive-In Dirty into other high-traffic areas. For now, though, his focus remains right here.
Right where the idea started.
Right where he saw an empty space and imagined something different.
The music is playing. The sodas are flowing. The flavors are waiting to be mixed.
And Bismarck has a new reason to pull through, roll up, and stay awhile.
“He saw an empty space and imagined something different.”
“A dirty soda is familiar enough to feel comfortable, but customizable enough to make it your own.”