With more than 60 years in the quick-service business and a strong presence in the South and Central regions, Sonic Drive-In is making bold progress in its commitment to expanding across the United States primarily through coast-to-coast franchise development. Sonic Drive-In is primed for expansion with a goal of one thousand new drive-ins in the next ten years. The strategy concentrates on identifying current and new franchise partners to develop drive-ins in established locations, areas with low penetration and completely untouched markets. In past months, Sonic has announced several franchise development agreements, one of which will bring five new drive-ins to the Rochester, New York market over the next four years. In addition, early in 2014 the chain also signed a franchise agreement for eight new drive-ins in Buffalo, New York within the next six years and an agreement with an existing franchisee for an additional six locations in Syracuse and Watertown, both also in northwestern New York, in the next four years. These along with several other agreements for expansion in San Diego County, the greater Los Angeles area, small towns across Louisiana, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas, the greater Seattle market and more are expected to see the chain grow by almost 30 percent to reach its 1000-unit goal and representation in all 50 states. Sonic is the country’s largest drive-in restaurant chain serving more than three million customers every day. Nearly 90 percent of chain’s 3500 drive-in locations are owned and operated by local business men and women.
CATEGORY: Quick Service, Drive-In
Chain Name: Sonic Drive-In
Company Name: Sonic Corp.
Street Address: 300 Johnny Bench Dr., Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73104
Tel: 405/225-5000 & 800/569-6656 (franchise info) Fax:
Email: sonicfranchises@sonicdrivein.com & sitesubmissions@sonicdrivein.com
Website: www.sonicdrivein.com & www.sonicfranchises.com
Menu Specialty: Fresh, made-to-order hamburgers, hot dogs, sandwiches, breakfast wraps, chicken strips, onion rings, shakes, ice cream, etc.
Introduced: Troy Smith Sr. launched a hamburger and root beer stand in Shawnee, Oklahoma in 1953 known as Top Hat Drive-In. He changed the name to Sonic Drive-In in 1959.
No. of Locations: Over 3500 drive-ins in 44 states
Areas of Operation: National
Types of Location: Freestanding drive-in with carhops.
BusinessType (corp., franchise, jv): Public Company, Franchised
Size Req’d: 2/3 to 1-acre required for drive-in.
Non-traditional units operate in food courts, campus dining, airports, arenas, military facilities and co-branded with travel plazas, convenience stores, etc.
Special Requirements (patio, drive-thru, etc):
Contact Name: Clifford Hudson – President, CEO, Chairman of the Board
Omar Janjua – Chief Restaurant Operations Officer
Stephen C. Vaughan – Exec Vice President, CFO
Paige S. Bass – Vice President, General Counsel
James O’Reilly – Sen Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer
John Budd – Chief Development & Strategy Officer
Craig Miller – Sen Vice President, Chief Information Officer
Anita Vanderveer – Vice President, Investor Relations, Communications & Treasurer
Bob Franke – Sen Vice President, Franchise Sales & International Development
Lori Osley – Sen Director, Franchise Sales
Craig Sherwood – Sen Director, Franchise Sales, California
Steve Bailey – Sen Director, Franchise Sales, Central States
REAL ESTATE REPRESENTATIVES:
FRANCHISE REPRESENTATIVES:
PARENT COMPANY: Sonic Corp., Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Related Chains:
Last Report: Restaurant & QSR Expansion Report #115 Last Update:
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