Sonic boom hits metro area
Nation's largest drive-in delivers nostalgia, tasty food and speciality drinks
By Dave Dreeszen Journal business editor | Posted: Sunday, July 08, 2007
A roller-skating carhop, carrying a tray, glides up to a '57 Chevy.
A scene from the 1950s or 1960s? Nope. It happened just last week in Sioux City.
Leaning across the driver's side window, Sonic Drive-in carhop Lisa Carroll handed a rootbeer float and bag of food to 21-year-old Jeremy Meyer, seated behind the wheel of his classic black 1957 Chevrolet sedan, with its distinctive hood, chrome and tailfins.
The Correctionville, Iowa, man, who had previously dined at a Sonic in Colorado Springs, Colo., made his first visit to the national chain's new drive-in at 2725 Floyd Blvd. Monday.
"I love the food,'' he said between bites of a double cheeseburger and order of onion rings. "I love coming here.''
He's apparently not alone. Since it opened last month, Siouxland motorists have been flocking to the metro area's first Sonic, billed as America's Drive In. '' In the first few days, traffic backed up onto neighboring commercial properties as long lines of vehicles waited to order at one of the drive-in stalls or at the drive-through lane.
"We've been very busy,'' said Mark Underwood, the local franchise owner. "The volume we've experienced validates our decision to come here.''
Underwood attributes the enthusiastic response to Sonic's great service and menu choices, from its signature cherry limeades to its extra-long chili cheese dogs, as well as a nostalgia for drive-in restaurants reminiscent of an earlier era.
"I think it's successful because people know there were drive-ins in the past and now they say, 'Here's one we can try,' '' he said.
There's some evidence local residents longed for a park and eat-in-your-car restaurant. So far, Underwood said about 65 percent of the new Sonic's business has come from motorists pulling into one of the drive-in's 23 stalls. The bulk of the rest has gone through the drive-through lane, while some other customers have dined at eight outdoor tables at the complex, covered by a huge canopy. There is no indoor seating.
Typically, the ratio is just the opposite at new Sonics in emerging markets, with drive-through traffic accounting for 50 percent or more of sales, Underwood said.
Sonic customer Alisha Lieber, 22, said the old-fashioned drive-in "makes you think of the old days'' when carhops on roller skates delivered the food. Alicia and her father, Rod, parked at one of the Sonic stalls for lunch last Monday.
Rod Lieber, who professed to usually ordering a chili cheese dog, said he has been a repeat visitor to the drive-in since it opened June 17. "It's good food, otherwise I wouldn't be back,'' he said.
Oklahoma origins
Sonic traces its own roots to 1952 in Shawnee, Okla. The Sonic name was derived from the slogan, "Service at the Speed of Sound.''
The publicly-traded company, now based in Oklahoma City, is the largest U.S. chain of drive-ins, with about 3,200 locations in 35 states. The largest concentration is in the South.
Sonic's old-fashioned vehicle stalls are equipped with updated technology. Orders are placed on intercoms. You can pay with cash or debit or cards, which can be inserted into electric machines at each space.
Anything on the menu, including breakfast items, can be ordered anytime of day or night.
"You can have a chili cheese dog at six in the morning or a breakfast burrito at 10 at night,'' Underwood said.
The menu boasts burgers, chicken, coneys, wraps and salads, as well as sides like fries and handmade onion rings. In addition, there's frosty treats like cones, shakes and Sonic Blasts, and slushes and speciality drinks.
The drive-in offers nearly 20 unique drink flavors, from vanilla and cherry to watermelon and blue coconut. For 30 cents each, flavors can be added to any drink, creating a mind-boggling 168,894 different combinations, Underwood said.
All the food and drink orders come out in a timely manner, he said. "We really consider ourselves to be a company that's going to provide quality food fast.''
The franchise owner said his staff of 104, which includes six managers, has performed remarkably well, considering they received just three hours of training prior to the drive-in opening. Typically, new Sonic staff gets two to three months of training, he said.
Skating was not part of the training regiment for the 30 carhops who regularly deliver food and drink. During the hiring process, "one of the first questions we asked them was whether or not they could skate,'' Underwood said.
All but one of the skating carhops are under 25, and most are 20 or younger, including Carroll, an 18-year-old student at Western Iowa Tech Community College.
Carroll said she doesn't mind working in her in-line skates. "It's faster skating than walking to cars,'' Carroll said.
Underwood said carhops get breaks from skating to rest their legs, and don't wear them at all during inclement weather. "I won't make them skate on ice or snow or when it's really rainy,'' he said.
This is the first Sonic franchise for Underwood, who spent 28 years in the bakery business, most recently with the Sara Lee chain. His bakery career took the Atlantic, Iowa, native to Iowa, Oklahoma, Kansas, California and Tennessee. While in the Memphis area, he supplied bread to Sonic franchise owners Ron and Pat Solberg.
After leaving Sara Lee in early 2006, Underwood and his wife, Diane, formed a partnership with the Solbergs to open a new Sonic in Sioux City.
He selected a high-traffic lot on the west side of Floyd, just next to a Dairy Queen and just south of a Wal-Mart Supercenter.
Earlier this year, Underwood's group also acquired the Sonic in Norfolk, Neb., which was previously the closest location to Sioux City, some 60 miles away.
Underwood, whose territory includes Northwest Iowa and Northeast Nebraska, said he has a multi-unit agreement with the company, and is considering opening a second location in metro Sioux City.
The Sonic Drive-In at 2725 Floyd Blvd. is open 6 a.m. to midnight Monday through Saturday and 8 a.m. to midnight Sunday.
Journal business editor Dave Dreeszen can be reached at (712) 293-4211 or davedreeszen@siouxcityjournal.com
Sonic Drive-in
Sioux City location: 2725 Floyd Blvd.
No. of car stalls: 23
No. of employees: 104
Company found: 1953
Headquarters: Oklahoma City
No. of U.S. locations: More than 3,200 in 32 states
A scene from the 1950s or 1960s? Nope. It happened just last week in Sioux City.
Leaning across the driver's side window, Sonic Drive-in carhop Lisa Carroll handed a rootbeer float and bag of food to 21-year-old Jeremy Meyer, seated behind the wheel of his classic black 1957 Chevrolet sedan, with its distinctive hood, chrome and tailfins.
The Correctionville, Iowa, man, who had previously dined at a Sonic in Colorado Springs, Colo., made his first visit to the national chain's new drive-in at 2725 Floyd Blvd. Monday.
"I love the food,'' he said between bites of a double cheeseburger and order of onion rings. "I love coming here.''
He's apparently not alone. Since it opened last month, Siouxland motorists have been flocking to the metro area's first Sonic, billed as America's Drive In. '' In the first few days, traffic backed up onto neighboring commercial properties as long lines of vehicles waited to order at one of the drive-in stalls or at the drive-through lane.
"We've been very busy,'' said Mark Underwood, the local franchise owner. "The volume we've experienced validates our decision to come here.''
Underwood attributes the enthusiastic response to Sonic's great service and menu choices, from its signature cherry limeades to its extra-long chili cheese dogs, as well as a nostalgia for drive-in restaurants reminiscent of an earlier era.
"I think it's successful because people know there were drive-ins in the past and now they say, 'Here's one we can try,' '' he said.
There's some evidence local residents longed for a park and eat-in-your-car restaurant. So far, Underwood said about 65 percent of the new Sonic's business has come from motorists pulling into one of the drive-in's 23 stalls. The bulk of the rest has gone through the drive-through lane, while some other customers have dined at eight outdoor tables at the complex, covered by a huge canopy. There is no indoor seating.
Typically, the ratio is just the opposite at new Sonics in emerging markets, with drive-through traffic accounting for 50 percent or more of sales, Underwood said.
Sonic customer Alisha Lieber, 22, said the old-fashioned drive-in "makes you think of the old days'' when carhops on roller skates delivered the food. Alicia and her father, Rod, parked at one of the Sonic stalls for lunch last Monday.
Rod Lieber, who professed to usually ordering a chili cheese dog, said he has been a repeat visitor to the drive-in since it opened June 17. "It's good food, otherwise I wouldn't be back,'' he said.
Oklahoma origins
Sonic traces its own roots to 1952 in Shawnee, Okla. The Sonic name was derived from the slogan, "Service at the Speed of Sound.''
The publicly-traded company, now based in Oklahoma City, is the largest U.S. chain of drive-ins, with about 3,200 locations in 35 states. The largest concentration is in the South.
Sonic's old-fashioned vehicle stalls are equipped with updated technology. Orders are placed on intercoms. You can pay with cash or debit or cards, which can be inserted into electric machines at each space.
Anything on the menu, including breakfast items, can be ordered anytime of day or night.
"You can have a chili cheese dog at six in the morning or a breakfast burrito at 10 at night,'' Underwood said.
The menu boasts burgers, chicken, coneys, wraps and salads, as well as sides like fries and handmade onion rings. In addition, there's frosty treats like cones, shakes and Sonic Blasts, and slushes and speciality drinks.
The drive-in offers nearly 20 unique drink flavors, from vanilla and cherry to watermelon and blue coconut. For 30 cents each, flavors can be added to any drink, creating a mind-boggling 168,894 different combinations, Underwood said.
All the food and drink orders come out in a timely manner, he said. "We really consider ourselves to be a company that's going to provide quality food fast.''
The franchise owner said his staff of 104, which includes six managers, has performed remarkably well, considering they received just three hours of training prior to the drive-in opening. Typically, new Sonic staff gets two to three months of training, he said.
Skating was not part of the training regiment for the 30 carhops who regularly deliver food and drink. During the hiring process, "one of the first questions we asked them was whether or not they could skate,'' Underwood said.
All but one of the skating carhops are under 25, and most are 20 or younger, including Carroll, an 18-year-old student at Western Iowa Tech Community College.
Carroll said she doesn't mind working in her in-line skates. "It's faster skating than walking to cars,'' Carroll said.
Underwood said carhops get breaks from skating to rest their legs, and don't wear them at all during inclement weather. "I won't make them skate on ice or snow or when it's really rainy,'' he said.
This is the first Sonic franchise for Underwood, who spent 28 years in the bakery business, most recently with the Sara Lee chain. His bakery career took the Atlantic, Iowa, native to Iowa, Oklahoma, Kansas, California and Tennessee. While in the Memphis area, he supplied bread to Sonic franchise owners Ron and Pat Solberg.
After leaving Sara Lee in early 2006, Underwood and his wife, Diane, formed a partnership with the Solbergs to open a new Sonic in Sioux City.
He selected a high-traffic lot on the west side of Floyd, just next to a Dairy Queen and just south of a Wal-Mart Supercenter.
Earlier this year, Underwood's group also acquired the Sonic in Norfolk, Neb., which was previously the closest location to Sioux City, some 60 miles away.
Underwood, whose territory includes Northwest Iowa and Northeast Nebraska, said he has a multi-unit agreement with the company, and is considering opening a second location in metro Sioux City.
The Sonic Drive-In at 2725 Floyd Blvd. is open 6 a.m. to midnight Monday through Saturday and 8 a.m. to midnight Sunday.
Journal business editor Dave Dreeszen can be reached at (712) 293-4211 or davedreeszen@siouxcityjournal.com
Sonic Drive-in
Sioux City location: 2725 Floyd Blvd.
No. of car stalls: 23
No. of employees: 104
Company found: 1953
Headquarters: Oklahoma City
No. of U.S. locations: More than 3,200 in 32 states
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