Nowadays, energy drinks are the go to for teenagers. Walking the halls of Victor Senior High School you will 100% always see either starbucks, LevelUp, and now becoming a more popular option, Bleu Dog. However, have we ever really taken a deep dive into the prices of these drinks and how teens are spending their money?

Bleu Dog is located on Main Street in Victor New York, and was established in the summer of 2023. They are so called “Handcrafted naturally caffeinated energy drinks.” Bleu dog is run by Mark & Dani Springett whose kids go to Victor Schools, just like many of their most known customers.

A more commonly known option is LevelUp. LevelUp is located on Pittsford-Victor Road and similar to Bleu Dog it provides energy drinks, however they also provide energy shakes, coffees, and protein balls.            

One of the main components to look at when comparing these two popular drinks locations is their prices and hours. At LevelUp a regular size (ounces are not on website) drink is $8, and at Bleu Dog for a 24oz drink it is $6.50, and a 32oz is $7.50. Given this the prices at both places are relatively similar. However the hours of the two places are what truly sets them apart.

Bleu Dog is open significantly more than LevelUp and also has very realistic hours. This makes it the better stop if you’re craving a drink before dinner or after a sports practice. Whereas Level Up closes at 4 which doesn’t leave much flexibility for that.  

Another thing that truly sets them apart is their website and marketing.  Both companies have instagrams that they run, however as a customer Bleu Dog has beat LevelUp  on their website time after time. Their website makes it  easy to find their prices and their hours, whereas LevelUp is very challenging to navigate. While attempting to compare these two popular locations I was struggling to find information about LevelUp compared to the Bleu Dog where everything was very easily accessible.

Finally, the most important part is comparing the two taste wise. My go to Level Up is the Pink Flamingo and the other night I stopped by Bleu Dog and got a Harvest Moon. While I did enjoy Harvest Moon and the customer service was amazing, after trying it I realized I enjoy Level Up more. At Bleu Dog it felt very sugary and sweet. Not like I was drinking a healthy drink. Whereas at Level Up I feel good about drinking my drink and don’t feel like I am putting bad products into my body. 

Overall, both companies have strengths and weaknesses. However in my opinion I like LevelUp more and would suggest that to people rather than Bleu Dog.