Sonic Drive-In

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Sonic Corporation

Type	Public (NASDAQ: SONC)
Founded	1953 (Shawnee, OK)
Headquarters	Oklahoma City, OK
Key people	J. Clifford Hudson CEO & President
Industry	Restaurants
Products	Fast food (including hamburgers, french fries, and milkshakes)
Revenue	Net Income:$75,381 (in thousands, USD) (2005)
Slogan	America's Drive-in! It's not just good. It's Sonic good.
Website	www.sonicdrivein.com

Sonic Corporation NASDAQ: SONC (operating name: Sonic Drive-In) is an American fast-food restaurant chain based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, that creates a drive-in diner feel of the 1950s, complete with carhops who often wear roller skates. There are 3,188 restaurants in 33 states, plus eight in Mexico, as of August 31, 2006. [1]. The first Sonic Drive-In was opened in Shawnee, Oklahoma, in 1953. [2]

Its memorable television ad campaign of the 1990s features 1950s throwback Frankie Avalon. During the early 1980s, Happy Days actor Tom Bosley was featured in their TV ads. The company itself is in its 52nd fiscal year, starting from its opening of (then-named) Top-Hat Drive-In in Stillwater, Oklahoma. They have recently started operating from a new headquarters building in the Bricktown district of Oklahoma City.

Notable menu items include Ched 'R' Peppers (a form of the popper), tater tots and various frozen treats such as Oreo/M&M's/Reese's/Butterfinger Blasts. Many different flavors such as vanilla, chocolate, cherry, strawberry, cranberry, apple, etc are available and can be added to drinks. Popular drinks include Ocean Water (Sprite with blue coconut flavor added) or Limeades (Sprite with limes and other flavors). "Brown Bag Specials", consisting of 2 orders of french fries, soft drinks, and two single-patty cheeseburgers in a small brown lunch bag were available until a menu change in 2005. Recently, Sonic started a special called "Five for Five Tuesdays" where a person could order five burgers for five dollars (plus tax) although partcipation by franchisees varies by location.

A typical Sonic Drive-In in 2005

Because it is a drive-in, Sonic's sales tend be more seasonal with the plurality of sales coming during the summer. This also explains why it has not yet moved up to more northern U.S. states; however, in spring of 2006, Sonic opened its first locations in Pennsylvania, Delaware, Oregon, and Washington (Lancaster, Bridgeville, Central Point, and Spokane, respectively), with plans to expand into the Columbus, Ohio^[1] and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania markets as well beginning in 2007. Approximately 25 stores are expected in Columbus in the next 3 years.^[1] Expanding further north, in the fall of 2006, Sonic opened a location in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Despite its lack of presence in the northeast United States, Sonic advertises nationally.

In 2004, the company became more widely known by advertising in markets hundreds of miles from its nearest franchise. It also uses the slogan "Sonic's got it... others don't," as well as "It's not just good... it's Sonic good," implying a higher standard of quality than normal fast-food fare. While Sonic drive-ins once played general oldies music, as a reference to the niche's popularity in the fifties and sixties, they now play a station called "Sonic Radio" over XFM (similar to "Starbucks Radio") which plays an assortment of oldies and contemporary music, some rock and alternative and even Spanish and dance hits.

Not all of Sonic's restaurants are drive-ins. There are several Sonic restaurants in shopping mall food courts, such as Winston-Salem, North Carolina's Hanes Mall. Several similar Sonic restaurants are incorporated into Wal-Mart Supercenters; there are two of these in Kissimmee, Florida, and one in Farmington, New Mexico. There are even regular restaurants with indoor dining rooms, such as one near Sonic's corporate headquarters in downtown Oklahoma City, the one near Northcross Mall in Austin, Texas or the Arrowhead location in Glendale, Arizona, which has both a dining room and a drive-through. The University of New Mexico's Student Union Building is the only student union in the country to feature a Sonic Restaurant.