Sonic - framed by palm trees and sunshine - in Jacksonville, Fla.
I’m well-aware that Sonic Drive-In in the South is like Dunkin’ Donuts in New England: you can’t take a step without tripping over one. Southerner friends can’t understand why we get so excited about Sonic up here. But in a classic case of “we always want what we can’t have,” we Northerners have been tortured for years by national Sonic TV advertising. We’ll be watching MTV and all of a sudden our screens fill with bright-red cherry slushes, golden tater tots and vanilla milkshakes topped with crumbled banana cream pies. And until recently, the locator tool on Sonic’s website proclaimed the nearest drive-in to be in something like Maryland or Virginia. NOT. COOL.
Either someone in the chain finally wised up, or that was one hell of an advertising campaign, because Sonic has finally made its way up here. The first New England Sonic opened in Peabody, Mass. this summer. And according to a Facebook group I’ve just joined, Sonic of CT, the drive-in will be coming to the Nutmeg State at some point soon. But the site’s about as vague as can be. No details on locations, timeframes, nothing concrete. It seems to serve, at least for now, as a hype-builder.
When I was back at the Hartford Courant in the summer, the business department ran a story about a CareerBuilder.com job posting for Sonic managers at a new location in Wallingford, Conn. But Sonic never made a public announcement, nor did it confirm the proposed opening to the paper.
I’ve made two visits to Sonic myself, both in Jacksonville, Fla. All I can say is this: Burger King, Wendy’s and McDonald’s should be worried…
Leeanne Griffin is a freelance writer and food enthusiast.
Shout out to Jax!
Thanks to my very patient buddy who stopped at Sonic after our beach visits
Would you believe Del actually knows one of the guys from the Sonic commercials? His name is T. J. Jagodowski and he originally hailed from Holyoke. It’s unbelievable how many people that kid knows. I think him randomly bumping into someone he knew at a layover in Colorado takes the cake. What are the odds? I think ‘Six Degrees of Del’ is a more appropriate term.
Del is like the junior mayor of Holyoke. Maybe he can help lobby to get a Sonic in western Mass.
A new chain is coming to Worcester called 5 Guys Burgers, you need to check it when it opens next month. I had it in Orlando and it’s good stuff.
Clank- Five Guys is also coming to Enfield, CT, though I’m not sure exactly when. They’ve started construction on the location.
Two words: Powerade slushies.
‘Nuff said.
sonic of ct submmitted plans to wallingford last week to build on rt 5 at the old yankee siversmith site near rt 68 and plans to open by late spring if all goes well cant wait
[...] took her on an impromptu road trip to Sonic Drive-In in upstate New York. As New Englanders are pretty obsessed with Sonic, Sandy was stoked to finally try it out. She was nice enough to share her experience [...]