While other restaurant drive-ins have evaporated
with time, Sonic has managed to stick around. The blast from the past is known for its marketing
and nostalgic setup. It has been serving in close to 3,500 locations across 47 US states.
The American drive-in fast-food restaurant chain follows ‘sonic’ service, but despite
its colorful history, there are many interesting facets of the drive-in that demand a top 10.
So you grab your spot in the shade and wait for the next carhop, while we sip on the Top
10 Untold Truths about Sonic.
Sonic’s Quest for identity
The drive in’s arrangement is as much unique in today’s times as its interesting history.
Founded by Troy Smith in the 1950s, the American drive-in was originally a root beer stand.
Yes that’s right. It established base in Oklahoma and at the time, Smith was also dabbling
into many steakhouses and diners, next to the stand. As soon as the guy found out about
the existence of an intercom system at a restaurant, he took the opportunity to give an upgrade
to his stand, with a car to kitchen intercom system as well. Turns out, the stand was garnering
more profits than his other restaurants, because of which Smith decided to give all his attention
to the stand itself, shutting doors to other restaurants in the process. At the time, the
name of the stand was “Top Hat” and Smith wanted to keep it that way during its expansion.
He found out that the name was trademarked and because of that, he had to come up with
something else. Hence Sonic, as it matched with their slogan, "service with the speed
of sound." Sure keeping the name you love is what you want and losing it to someone
else is a bummer. But hey Sonic sounds cool too and the chain has made a niche for itself
‘faster’ than a certain hedgehog with speed can spell his name. Since its inception
and growth, we all now are familiar with the layout of the Sonic chain. In case you want
to visit the massive base of the restaurant, Oklahoma city is the way to go. It comes complete
with drive-in and dine-in facilities and is a sight to behold.
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Meals on wheels at Sonic
When we go by a Sonic, we can come across carhops whizzing by, serving meals and doing
it with a smile. Car-hopping adds to the ambient setting of the chain and sets it apart from
other restaurants in that context. It is impressive how the skaters balance a tray of burgers,
slushies, and snacks, all while avoiding obstacles in their path. Also, carhops skating endeavors
depend on the Sonic location. In some, there is a special skate training, while in others,
you are expected to hop on those wheels as if they were a part of your feet. With the
intercom system and your meals served on wheels, it seems Sonic follows the “speediness”
aspect of its name quite seriously. In fact, carhop is part of the identity of what the
chain stands for, which is “fast service.” The skills of carhops are so impeccable that
Sonic has partnered with Dr. Pepper and given opportunities to skaters to take part in a
competition, held every year. The prize money is that of $1500 and an all-expense paid trip
to the annual Sonic National Convention. These carhops sure have serious speed underneath
their wheels and a whole lot of skill. Also, the chain is on a hiring spree every now and
then for potential carhops to become a part of their restaurants. So in case you have
a flair for serving with style, balance, coordination, strong memorization skills and are in need
of a job, time to fill up those application forms as your that ideal candidate.
Rise of the Sonic drinks
Sonic’s drive-in doesn’t just give you car hopper service and the usual fast food
items you usually find at other chains. It specializes in drinks as well and boy those
drinks sole purpose is not just to chug all those burgers down. They are a force to be
reckoned with. You may think of them as the usual pops you order at a McDonalds or a KFC
to give yourself a breather from your food indulgences. But that’s where Sonic proves
you wrong. When it comes to customizing drinks and being creative, they take it to the next
level. Drinks like frozen lemonades, iced tea, and pops are part of the menu, but they
occupy a small space on it, compared to the vast library of drinks at the chains disposal.
Heck whatever drink you grab, you can be creative and add different flavors to it. Real fruit
can be mixed in with lemonades or a slushy loaded with candy. The restaurant serves more
than 1.5 million drinks and boasts hundreds of thousands of combos, and that just shows
how many drinks can be concocted. With so many options on the menu, it’s easy to get
overwhelmed. Worry not as you can always ask a carhop for recommendations as they are the
ones who experiment with flavors and add to the growing list.
Pricey Sonic Wheels
Ever thought of becoming a car hopper and wanting to exhibit your skills on wheels,
while making customers happy? Before you do that you have to keep in mind that you’ll
have to purchase your own skates. Sonic doesn’t just give them to you. Attached to the branded
skates is a $100 price tag and it doesn’t end there. You will be constantly moving about
and the imminent wear and tear on the skates demand repairs. Throw in some extra cash for
toe-stop replacements and wheels. Once you own your shiny pair of skates, you might undergo
some training because you are expected to have some skills. The life of a car hopper
goes through trials and tribulations when it comes to wages as well. Some locations
pay minimum wage while others are below the minimum and it all comes down to tips. So
there you go. If you plan on becoming one, you’ll know that there will be some investment
required towards those fancy skates. After all, with great speed comes a steep ‘price.'
Generally, carhops are considered tipped staff because of the wage, which means you’re
encouraged to throw in a buck or two. So if a carhop speeds up to you with a service and
smile, make sure to give them a nice tip for all their acrobatics and send them back home
with more than they might usually get at the end of a shift.
Sonic Cares About More than Just Hedgehogs
In 2010, Sonic drive-in established an animal welfare policy. At the time chains like McDonald's
were behind on that front. The ingredients involved in the fast food business are usually
not considered humane, which is why the chain took a step to accept cage-free eggs and pork
from suppliers that don’t keep pigs in gestation crates. In fact, they are so persistent towards
accepting humanely-soured ingredients that in 2016, they established goals specifically
tailored to the animal welfare policy, all across their 3,500 chains in the US. With
a focused commitment towards implementing such a policy, the restaurant claims to eradicate
pork obtained from suppliers using gestation crates by 2022. They also plan to use 100
percent cage-free eggs by 2025. Besides these changes, the chain has also done some transformation
to the dairy product department. Prior to 2010, milkshakes and frozen treats were made
using a non-ice cream substitute. The preparation process for their dairy products has been
converted and pure ice cream items have taken upcharge, instead of low-fat dairy products.
With the urgency made by Sonic to humanize the process and make alterations with other
food items, consumers can rest easy when they visit the restaurant. This is a major step
towards achieving goals that benefit the welfare of animals and hopefully soon, all restaurant
chains will follow suit.
Only the rich and the worthy for Sonic
Want to purchase your very own franchise? Do you have what it takes to own one? Are
your pockets deep enough or are they riddled with holes before you even think of buying
one? Because there’s a hefty price attached to owning your own Sonic. The franchise fee
alone is around $45,000 and that only helps you secure the location. Once you do the deed,
you then have to shell out another $860,000 for the start-up cost covering land purchase,
construction of the restaurant, hiring employees and sourcing of the materials. Pricier markets
require more from your wallet and can skyrocket to 3 million. With that much investment, Sonic
expects you to have liquid capital of half a million dollars and a net worth of 1 million,
to begin with. Now that the big numbers are out of the way, and your hopes of having all
the unlimited drinks and burgers are shattered and buried six feet under, let's sit in our
chairs and watch who stands up and takes the leap of faith. We pray that the next guy interested
has a ‘speedy’ recovery when it comes to the bank account.
Sonic has the one ring to rule them all
Have you ever thought why the onion rings at Sonic have a certain sweetness to them?
It’s because the batter is prepared in vats that have had vanilla in them. With a combination
of vanilla soft mix, flour and cornmeal, the rings have a distinct taste to them. Moreover,
the onion rings are organized by hand and there is an exclusive employee just to slice,
batter and fry the onions. So if you’re feeling for something sweet and crispy at
the same time, Sonic onion rings mixed in with an essence of vanilla, sounds like a
good option. Anyways, whatever transpires in the kitchens of Sonic, these combinations
in drinks and food sure works for them and boy they taste good.
Sonic at the beach
Sonic opened its doors in the beach locales of Florida. This shook things up for a bit
for the chain as it wanted to change its image of just being a drive-in restaurant. With
a beachside view and the ocean waves crashing the shores, you can now enjoy a chilled beer
with tater tots, at at least one of the locations, Sonic Beach. With a patio area and LED 60
inch flat screens decorating the place, what else can you ask for? A Sonic minus the drive-thru
is a novel idea and we are all for it. Besides, nothing can top a beachside location, especially
in summer with your own customizable slush in hand. With exclusive features to the menu
of Sonic Beach like Carolina Pulled Pork Sandwich, Philly Cheesesteaks, Popcorn Shrimp, Popcorn
Chicken, and Island Sorbets, there’s a variety of choices that can be indulged in.
Ice aficionados get their fill at Sonic
One would never think of ice being popular at a food chain. Well, that is exactly the
case when it comes to Sonic’s Nugget Ice. The small, soft chunks of ice are a big thing
for those who visit the chain. It has its own fan following. The holy matrimony between
frozen water and air makes this ice a reality. The soft chewable ice adds to the flavor
of the drink and can be purchased from a Sonic in the $2-$5 price range. The ice acts as
a leftover snack once you finish your drink - ain't that 'cool.' No wonder some customers
drop by a Sonic and yes sometimes carhops do come to deliver you just that. Thanks
to their popularity and cult following, now you can get your own ice maker. A contraption
called the Opal Nugget Ice Maker is available for $499 and it does exactly what it claims.
Now you can mix in the ice with your favorite drink at home to see what all the fuss is
about. Saves you the trip to a Sonic, if it's not in your neighborhood.
Sonic On the digital highway
Sonic is old school only in ambiance. Like other chains, it too is trying to make itself
more accessible for its customers. With the Sonic drive-in app, people can now order through
their mobile phones. It’s not an uncommon practice anymore as restaurants are trying
to find ways and means for customers to order faster and ahead of time. Also, the menu of
the app imitates the ones at the chains. It’s getting pretty popular and the app
has plans in the future to track customer data, money spent, and customer preferences.
It adds to the convenience, and the information gathered by the app will make Sonic much more
tailored for the individual consumer. The goal of the brand is to win market share in
the communities it serves and also become more prominent. Some of the features of the
app include finding the nearest Sonic drive-in locations and their hours of operation, monthly
rewards, sending and getting gift cards from family and friends with cool designs, and
so on. The app also gives nutritional information, complete with special offers and promotions.
Looking at how far the chain has come since its inception, encompassing more than 60 years,
this seems like the next logical step for it, especially when smartphones have become
so popular. Ordering food through an app is common practice for any small or big restaurant
business and its time Sonic traversed on the digital wagon. The only thing now that the
app can’t accomplish is carhops speeding their way to you with your order, unless they
start popping up on your phone screen in the distant future, who knows. For now, we will
have to make do with the free medium slush you get if you download it for iOS or Android.
Don’t zoom off to your nearest Sonic just yet! Hit that subscribe button and ring that
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