Sonic Drive-In

The first Sonic Drive-In opened in 1953. Leslie Smith Baugh, daughter of founder Troy Smith Sr., has recalled that her father bought a small walk-up root beer stand in Shawnee, Oklahoma, that year, out of which SONIC was born, gradually developing its signature canopies, intercom speakers, carhops, and franchisees. The brand’s original slogan was “service at the speed of sound.” Troy Smith led the company until 1983.⁠[1][2][3][2]

In 1984 Cliff Hudson joined Sonic as assistant general counsel.⁠[2]

In connection with its 1991 initial public offering, Sonic Corp. was incorporated in Delaware in 1990, and its stock traded on Nasdaq under the symbol “SONC.”⁠[1]

In 1995 Cliff Hudson became chief executive of Sonic. When he took over, Sonic had nearly 1,500 drive-ins in 27 states and systemwide sales of $905 million; by the time he stepped down in 2018, it had grown to 3,600 drive-ins in 45 states and systemwide sales of $4.5 billion.⁠[2]

In 2009 Sonic launched its Limeades for Learning campaign in partnership with the nonprofit platform DonorsChoose.org to fund learning materials and resources for U.S. public school teachers; as of November 2018 it had donated a total of $11.7 million.⁠[4][2]

On October 4, 2017, Sonic issued a public statement saying it had discovered that credit and debit card numbers may have been acquired without authorization as part of a malware attack at certain drive-ins. The company was subsequently named as a defendant in nine related class action complaints, which were consolidated in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio; on October 10, 2018, the parties jointly moved for preliminary approval of a class settlement, which remained subject to final court approval. The company said it did not expect payments related to the settlement to exceed its cyber liability insurance coverage.⁠[5][1][1][1][1]

In January 2018 Claudia San Pedro was named president of Sonic. She had joined Sonic in 2006 as treasurer, was later promoted to vice president of investor relations, and became chief financial officer in 2015; before Sonic she was director of the Oklahoma Office of State Finance.⁠[2][2][2]

At the end of the fiscal year ended August 31, 2018, the Sonic system had 3,606 drive-ins in 45 states, of which 3,427 were operated by franchisees and 179 by the subsidiary Sonic Restaurants. For the fiscal year Sonic Corp. reported total revenues of $423.59 million (compared with $477.27 million the previous year) and net income of $71.21 million.⁠[1][1][1][1]

On September 25, 2018, Sonic Corp. and Inspire Brands announced a definitive merger agreement under which Inspire would acquire Sonic for $43.50 per share in cash, in a transaction valued at about $2.3 billion including the assumption of Sonic’s net debt, a premium of about 19% to the September 24 closing price and about 21% to the 30-day volume-weighted average price; after the deal Sonic would be a privately held subsidiary of Inspire operated as an independent brand. Sonic then described itself as the largest drive-in restaurant chain in the United States, serving about 3 million customers a day, with 95% of its more than 3,600 drive-ins owned by local franchisees.⁠[4][4][4][4]

On November 7, 2018, Sonic announced that chairman and chief executive Cliff Hudson would retire upon completion of the Inspire acquisition and serve as senior advisor until March 2019, and that president Claudia San Pedro would lead the company, reporting to Inspire chief executive Paul Brown.⁠[2][2]

On December 6, 2018, a special meeting of Sonic stockholders approved the merger agreement with 29,035,313 votes in favor. On December 7, Inspire Brands announced the completion of its $2.3 billion acquisition of Sonic Corp.; Inspire thereby encompassed more than 8,300 restaurants with annual systemwide sales of more than $12 billion, making it the fifth-largest restaurant company in the United States, with brands including Arby’sArby'sArby’s is an American fast-food chain that began with roast beef sandwiches. Founded in Ohio in 1964 and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, it was owned successively by Triarc, Wendy’s/Arby’s Group, and the private equity firm Roark Capital, and after acquiring Buffalo Wild Wings in 2018 it became one of the founding brands of the multi-brand restaurant company Inspire Brands.Open the full entry, Buffalo Wild WingsBuffalo Wild WingsBuffalo Wild Wings (BWW, nicknamed B-Dubs) is an American sports bar restaurant chain known for Buffalo-style chicken wings and watching sports. Once listed on Nasdaq, it became a founding brand of the multi-brand restaurant company Inspire Brands, alongside Arby’s, in 2018.Open the full entry, Sonic, and Rusty Taco.⁠[6][6][7][7][7]

In August 2019 the first SONIC in Alaska opened in Wasilla, operated by franchisees Larry Clark and Cameron Johnson, with a double drive-thru, an indoor dining room, and drive-in stalls.⁠[8][8]

In February 2020 SONIC introduced a new brand identity and the advertising campaign “THIS IS HOW WE SONIC.” That year the brand dropped the “SONIC Two Guys” commercials that had run for nearly 20 years in favor of ads focused on its food.⁠[9][10]

In July 2020 SONIC opened the first drive-in with its new “Delight” design in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, featuring 18 docks, a drive-thru, and a covered outdoor patio with string lights and lawn games, topped by a large, brightly lit cherry in a nod to the more than 9 million Cherry Limeades it sells each year; a new kitchen layout made operations more efficient.⁠[3][3][3][3]

In March 2022 SONIC completed the rollout of mobile tipping, allowing customers who order by smartphone for pickup or in-car dining to add a tip for carhops.⁠[11]

On February 20, 2023, SONIC opened its first location in Hawaii, in Kahului on Maui, operated by North Shore Provisions (doing business as SONIC Drive-In Hawai’i), and introduced a Teriyaki Burger exclusive to the location; SONIC thereafter had at least one location in 47 U.S. states. The SONIC Foundation also donated $40,000 through DonorsChoose to Maui public school teachers.⁠[12][12][12][12][12]

In June 2024 SONIC launched a new creative platform, “LIVE FREE EAT SONIC,” developed with its creative agency Mother Los Angeles, along with Groovy Fries, its first major update to its fries in more than 10 years, and an online merchandise shop whose proceeds all go to the SONIC Foundation to support public education.⁠[10][10][10][10]

On December 10, 2025, Inspire announced the appointment of John Kelly as brand president of SONIC. Kelly had spent nearly 25 years at Inspire and Arby’s, serving as president of Inspire Company Restaurants and chief operating officer of Arby’s, and before joining Arby’s had worked in operations at McDonald’sMcDonald’sMcDonald’s is a publicly traded restaurant company headquartered in Chicago, known for hamburgers, fries, drive-thrus and its franchise network. Its origins lie in the restaurant opened by Richard and Maurice McDonald in 1940; Ray Kroc expanded franchising from 1955. It operates across more than 100 countries, with the great majority of restaurants run by independent operators.Open the full entry.⁠[13][14][14][14]

On April 6, 2026, SONIC launched a new loyalty program, SONIC Rewards, in its mobile app: members earn 10 points per dollar spent and move through three tiers based on annual visits, Member, Star (10 visits), and Legend (30 visits), earning points faster at higher tiers.⁠[15][15][15][15]

A typical Sonic drive-in consists of a single-story kitchen building of about 1,500 square feet flanked by canopy-covered rows of 16 to 24 parking spaces, each with its own payment terminal, intercom speaker system, and menu board; customers order from their parking space and carhops deliver the food to their cars, and many drive-ins also have a drive-thru lane and patio seating. Signature items include specialty drinks such as cherry limeades and slushes, ice cream desserts, made-to-order cheeseburgers, hot dogs, hand-made onion rings, and tater tots.⁠[1][1][1][1][1]

According to Inspire’s fiscal 2025 figures, SONIC had more than 3,400 restaurants in 47 U.S. states and system sales of $5.2 billion; Inspire positions it as the leading drive-in chain in the United States.⁠[16][16][16]

Sonic Drive-In: Official website: https://www.sonicdrivein.com/ (opens in a new window).⁠[15]

Inspire Brands: Official website: https://inspirebrands.com/ (opens in a new window).⁠[17]

X: Public account: https://x.com/sonicdrive_in (opens in a new window)⁠[18]