This Is What Makes The Tea At McAlister's Deli So Good

After the filmmakers of "Heart of Dixie" converted an Oxford, Mississippi gas station into a diner set for the movie, local dentist Dr. Don Newcomb next turned it into a sandwich shop called Chequer's in 1989. Borrowing some of his wife's recipes, as well as the surname of her grandparents, the newly established shop was renamed McAlister's Deli. Being a southern establishment, the beverage menu was naturally headlined by its own sweet tea. It's been such a staple on the menu from day one that the beloved drink is now referred to and sold as McAlister's Famous Tea. As McAlister's Deli became a franchise and expanded to over 500 locations across 28 states, its signature sweet tea no longer remained just a regional refresher, and satisfied customers points much further north.

To get to the bottom of a cup to find out what makes the tea at McAlister's Deli so good, Daily Meal headed to the chain's headquarters and test kitchen in Atlanta, Georgia for a full day of Tea-mersion. McAlister's Deli's Executive Chef Courtney Bufford walked us through the company's methodology on how the tea makes its way from simple leaves to succulent drink. We learned and drank so much in that single day, and yet remained thirsty for more. Here is but a taste of what we learned ...

The ingredients of McAlister's Deli's tea are no secret, or uncommon to anyone who brews their own sweet tea: water, black tea, sugar, lemon, and ice. Yet there's something distinctly different about its tea. Courtney Bufford explained, "We actually have a proprietary blend. It is rainforest alliance certified, which makes sure that we are growing our tea in the most sustainable way," adding the company strives at "being responsible and sustainable with the large amount of tea that we sell."

McAlister's Deli's recipe is followed to a "tea" at each location. It starts with pouring hot, double-filtered water over premium Orange Pekoe Black Tea leaves, then allowing it to steep. The higher temperature of the tea creates a strong, rich concentrated taste. Afterwards, pure cane sugar is whisked in. The process takes about ten minutes, and a batch lasts about 4 hours or less, before being made fresh again. Each location brews anywhere from 8 to 10 urns of tea every day. Old and new tea mixes are never placed within the same urn.

When a tea is ordered, an employee pours it over a cup loaded with crystal clear ice. As the warm tea hits the cold ice, it melts many of the cubes, which creates the standard consistency for fresh tea that McAlister's Deli prides itself on. A wedge of lemon is an optional add-on, and then the provided red straw acts almost like a cherry on top.

For over 100 years, French company Monin has provided flavorings for cocktails, coffees, coffees, and teas, finding more of a presence in the United States after opening a headquarters in Florida back in 1996. Monin has flavored margaritas at Chili's, and over at McAlister's Deli, its teas and lemonade. McAlister's Deli's drinks stand on its own, but are elevated to a whole other level thanks to pumps of Monin's flavored fruit purées and syrups.

On the McAlister's Deli menu, a trio of fruit syrups can be added to a drink at $.99 a shot: Peach, strawberry, and black cherry. With those three options available, there are actually over 40 different combinations of tea one can order from McAlister's Deli. Since 2014, the chain has even utilized Monin flavors to create limited-time runs of Raspberry, Blackberry, Wildberry, PassionBerry, Tropical, and Mango green teas.

McAlister's Deli has also been getting more into the spirit of the holidays. In the lead up to Halloween 2023, the chain unleashed a curious concoction from its cauldron of fun ideas — Witch's Brew. This drink started with the chain's lemonade, was joined by lemon juice, and finished off by combining the talents of Monin's Granny Smith Apple and its Caramel syrups. The result was one of the best autumn drinks introduced in quite a long time. Here's hoping there's plenty more Monin magic being pumped into McAlister's Deli's tea and lemonade to come.

McAlister's Deli knows how popular its tea is, so, once a year, it gives it away for free. While 7-Eleven gives away Slurpees on 7/11, McAlister's has earmarked the third Thursday of every July as Free Tea Day.

This annual celebration began in 2008. Jessica Osborne, vice president of marketing at McAlister's Deli, said in a statement to Daily Meal, "It started as a singular day to show appreciation for our guests, but over the years, we've seen it evolve into an ongoing celebration of summer and that little something extra they experience each time they visit McAlister's." In 2024, Free Tea Day is July 18, but it's being turned into a long weekend from July 19 to 21. With the purchase of any entree, a cup of tea is yours for the taking.

If once a year seems a long wait, McAlister's Deli has other opportunities for customers new and old. Signing up for McAlister's Rewards allows customers to earn points for purchases, and after spending $50, one can cash it in for a free drink. McAlister's also offers a Tea Pass. For a mere $7.99, Pass-holders can order tea, once per day, for 30 days. Considering a cup of tea retails for slightly over $3, you're practically earning money on your third cup. Finally, if a new location is opening near you, the first 100 customers usually win free tea for an entire year.

There is no better partner for sweet than savory. Luckily, fans of McAlister's Deli's sweet tea have plenty of savory food options to pair it up with. William Eudy, corporate executive chef international at Go To Foods, told QSR Magazine in 2017, "My favorite pairing is probably the McAlister's Club and Sweet Tea because there are so many different flavors in that combination. It's got savory, salty, and sweet, so it pairs really well with the sweetness of the tea." He's not alone, as McAlister's Club sandwich ranks as the second-highest selling item on the Deli's menu.

In addition to a wide variety of Clubs, other salty sandwich pleasures include the French Dip, cheese melts, and the Jalapeño Turkey Crunch, which includes a helping of thirst-inducing jalapeño chips housed under the bun. Beyond the bread, McAlister's Deli offers bountiful salads, creamy soups, and loaded baked potatoes that are some of the best in the industry.

On the flipside, if one's sweet tooth is saving room for dessert, McAlister's Deli's unsweetened tea will pair well with its baked goods. Cookies, brownies, and combo brookies are dependable options, but several glasses of tea may be required for enduring the girth of the Colossal Carrot Cake.

Beyond experimenting with new flavor combinations for its iced tea, McAlister's Deli has also been tinkering with its state of matter. In 2022, the chain collaborated with Creamalicious for a Sweet Tea ice cream, decked out with sugar cookie and lemon swirls.

More recently, the chain has been testing a line of frozen drinks, and is even using its famous tea as a base flavor. Options include Frozen Lemonade, Frozen Tea & Lemonade, and Frozen Strawberry Lemonade. Since the drinks require specific equipment not currently available at McAlister's Deli, it's only being test marketed at select locations. As of July 2024, that included Atlanta and Gainesville in Georgia, Franklin in Tennessee, Brandon and Petal in Mississippi, Mansfield in Texas, and Charlotte in North Carolina.

On our Tea-mersion trip to Atlanta, we stopped by a local McAlister's Deli and were offered a taste test of the Frozen Tea & Lemonade for breakfast. This totally chill Arnold Palmer-like concoction wowed our taste buds so much that we're still dreaming of a second helping. In a statement provided to Daily Meal, McAlister's Deli vice president of marketing, Jessica Osborne said, "we're hearing a lot of positive feedback on our frozen offerings since launching the test and we're already exploring how we can further innovate in the frozen beverage space." Let's cross our fingers for it to become a permanent menu addition.