Consumer Obsession

In the last year or so, the Sonic Drive-in has ramped up its expansion into various areas of the US.  Areas outside the midwest are finally getting to try out the fast food chain they’ve seen advertised for years.  But was it worth the wait?

Until a year or so ago, we at Consumer Obsession had not had the opportunity to try a Sonic Drive-in.  But, in that time, three Sonics have opened up in our vicinity.  The arrival of the legendary fast food drive-in had us rather excited.  How would it compare?  Were we impressed or disappointed?  Well, a little of both.

Truth be told, the food, even by fast food standards, was nothing to write home about.  The Sonic hot dog was a bland disappointment.  While Consumer Obsession loves its hot dogs, there was nothing to make us get the Sonic dog again.  The burgers were merely ok.  They were a little different than the standard McDonald’s, Burger King or Wendy’s patties, but not necessarily better – just different.  The french fries weren’t bad.  There was none of the fake coating that has plagued fast food fries in recent years, which is a good thing.  They, again, were very average.  But, with the quality of fast food fries going downhill this past decade, Sonic’s “average” french fries were better than many.

Sonic does have a wide selection drink and slushy variations, which have proved to be popular with consumers.  The restaurants in our area typically run afternoon happy hours with half-priced selections, which is actually a pretty good deal.

The new Sonic Drive-ins have opened with quite a bit of fanfare and then cooled off considerably.  It will be interesting to see how the chain performs after the dust settles.