Mr. Pibb cherry soda is back in San Diego, with a new twist

Did you miss Mr. Pibb?

Mr. Pibb missed you. So much so that the soda is back on shelves and hoping you’ll pick it up next time you want to drink something cherry flavored, bubbly and caffeinated.

The cherry soda was launched in 1972 and disappeared in 2001, replaced by a drink called Pibb Xtra.

The Coca-Cola company just announced it is reintroducing Mr. Pibb to its lineup, with a twist. The recipe has been adjusted in “a bold reformulation and rebranding of Pibb Xtra, designed to meet the tastes of today’s consumers.” What that means: 30% more caffeine than Pibb Xtra.

San Diego is one of the first markets to get this new release.

It is available in a standard and zero-sugar formula. Both come in 12-packs and 20-ounce bottles.

“Consumers have been asking for Mr. Pibb’s bold kick of cherry flavor for some time,” Dane Callis, director for Sparkling Flavors at Coca‑Cola North America, said in a news release. “If you go on Reddit, X and other social media, you’ll find conversations about the mystique of Mr. Pibb.”

The drink is considered a competitor to Dr. Pepper. A debate on Reddit shows that both sodas have their staunch fans.

One commenter suggested a bold move: “I mix them and create Dr. Pibber.”

Bagels and coffee, with a freebie

Einstein Bros. Bagels opened Thursday at 970 Eastlake Parkway in Chula Vista. That is its second store in Chula Vista and the 17th in San Diego County.

Now through Nov. 20, guests at that location get a free egg sandwich when they shop inside the bakery, online or in the app. Use code BOGO.

“San Diego has always shown us incredible support, and we are so excited to bring our fresh-baked breakfast to Chula Vista,” said Adam Modzel, the company’s chief operations officer.

The shop sells more than 15 kinds of bagels, including a new item this fall: the Oktoberfest Egg Sandwich, with “cage-free eggs, smoky ham, crispy bacon, Swiss cheese, deli mustard, and a brand-new Beer Cheese Shmear, stacked on a toasted Pretzel Bagel.”

The chain has 50 shops in California. Only Colorado has more, at 52.

British beds and mattresses

A British bed and mattress store that sells its goods at Harrods in London has opened a boutique in La Jolla.

Vispring Luxury Beds has a new showroom on Girard Avenue. It is the company’s first store in San Diego County and part of the brand’s U.S. expansion this year.

“We are delighted to be on Girard Avenue, at the heart of the prestigious design district,” Martin Gill, Vispring’s managing director, said in a news release.

Vispring introduced the pocket spring mattress in London in 1901, the release added. The company describes itself as “the benchmark for bespoke, handcrafted beds, made using only the finest, natural materials, including British wool, Real Shetland Wool, cashmere, horsehair and silk. Epitomising a distinctly British form of elegance, Vispring combines technical prowess with an approach worthy of the finest tailoring and remains the international standard for comfort and sophistication, coupled with a lasting respect for traditional methods of workmanship.”

Its next nearest location is in Orange County’s Corona del Mar.