NEW YORK – The cola wars returned this weekend at the National Restaurant Association Show.

The New York Times reports that PepsiCo unveiled its new Spire fountain machine, which looks more like a giant iPhone, as the beverage company’s “answer to Coca-Cola’s Freestyle, a new kind of drink dispenser that jolted the sleepy fountain business back into life four years ago by demonstrating that a soda machine didn’t have to be an ugly steel box with eight valves and an ice maker.”

Brad Jakeman, president of PepsiCo’s global beverages group, told the New York Times that soft drink fountains in pharmacies and apothecaries, “where this all started, were points of engagement where an amazing amount of creativity and innovation took place at the hands of the soda jerk … But somewhere along the line, what was an experience has turned into a transaction, and that’s got to change.”

Meanwhile, to keep Pepsi from taking all of the spotlight, the newspaper writes that Jennifer Mann, general manager of Coca-Cola’s Freestyle, “’went on a road trip” last week to preview to customers new, smaller model machines that address Freestyle’s biggest complaint: space.

“These are not just pieces of equipment,” Mann told the newspaper. “They represent a chance for us to help our customers engage with their consumers in a new way that is driving sales and traffic.”

PepsiCo’s Spire, notes the article, comes in three sizes and uses bag-in-box. The largest Spire machine can make more than 1,000 drink combinations. John Sicher, editor and publisher of Beverage Digest, told the newspaper that the machines were one of the biggest developments in years because of their potential to introduce new drinks and market directly to consumers.

“These are potentially of very real value to restaurants because of the vast range of choices they can offer consumers, making them a sort of beverage destination,” he told the newspaper, adding, “And that, in turn, may help the beverage companies.”