This Franchise Chatter guide on the SONIC Drive-In menu was written by Sherman Morrison.
Troy Smith got his start in the restaurant business back in 1953 with a small root beer stand in Shawnee, Oklahoma, called Top Hat. He began experimenting with the idea of a controlled-parking drive-in over the next several years, which boosted sales significantly. In 1956, Charles Pappe joined the operation and opened the first franchised location in Woodward, OK.
With a handful of locations in 1959, they discovered that the Top Hat name was already trademarked, so they renamed their chain SONIC, with the slogan Service at the Speed of Sound. SONIC is a drive-in fast-food restaurant where patrons pull into covered drive-in stalls, place orders through an intercom speaker, and wait for the food to be delivered to their cars by carhops, often on roller skates. Many locations feature patio seating as well as drive-thru service.
Now with the slogan Amerca’s Drive-In and headquartered in Oklahoma City, there are more than 3,500 SONIC restaurants in 44 states.
The SONIC menu consists of such staples as hamburgers and French fries, but also features a selection of more carnival-like food in the form of onion rings, corndogs and chili hotdogs. The chain also allows for the combinations of various beverages and flavors, resulting in thousands of options for drinks.
Because SONIC menu prices can vary by location, I’ll be focusing on the quality of the chain’s food. I’ll start with their burgers and branch out from there.
Burgers
I’ll just note that many of the better-burger chains I’ve reviewed make a point of mentioning that their beef is not only 100% beef, it’s also usually 100% American. That particular descriptor is noticeably lacking in the SONIC Drive-In menu, so if that’s important to you, I have no idea where the chain’s beef is coming from. It could be American, but they don’t specify that, so who knows.
Here are the nine different burgers on the SONIC Drive-In menu:
- SONIC Cheeseburger. Melty American cheese, crinkle-cut pickles, chopped onions, fresh shredded lettuce and ripe tomatoes on a seasoned, 100% pure beef patty with your choice of mustard, mayo or ketchup.
- SONIC Bacon Cheeseburger. A 100% pure beef patty sandwiched between melty American cheese, crispy bacon, fresh shredded lettuce, ripe tomatoes and creamy mayo.
- SuperSONIC Double Cheeseburger. Two seasoned 100% pure beef patties layered with melty American cheese, crinkle-cut pickles, chopped onions, fresh shredded lettuce and ripe tomatoes with your choice of mustard, mayo or ketchup.
- SuperSONIC Bacon Double Cheeseburger. Two quarter-pound, 100% pure beef hamburgers, two melty slices of American cheese, lettuce, fresh sliced tomatoes, creamy mayo, topped off with crispy bacon.
- Jr. Double Cheeseburger. Two 100% pure beef junior patties layered with two thick slices of melty American cheese, with ketchup, mustard and pickles.
- Jr. Burger. A 100% pure beef patty, crinkle-cut pickles, mustard and ketchup.
- Jr. Deluxe Burger. A 100% pure beef, junior-size patty layered with fresh shredded lettuce, ripe tomato, chopped onion, crinkle-cut pickles and your choice of ketchup, mustard or mayo.
- Jr. Deluxe Cheeseburger. A 100% pure beef junior hamburger layered with melty American cheese, with lettuce, fresh-sliced tomato, diced onions and pickles.
- Bacon Cheeseburger TOASTER. The patty and cheese are sandwiched between two thick slices of Texas Toast, topped with crinkle-cut pickles, chopped onions, fresh shredded lettuce, ripe tomatoes, a freshly prepared onion ring and hickory BBQ sauce. They call it a “burgwich.”
It’s worth noting first that all the patties on SONIC burgers are standard quarter-pounders. These are good-sized burgers that compare in size to a Burger King Whopper.
The beef itself is nothing to write home about. It’s neither particularly juicy, nor is it overly dry. It’s hard to tell what the chain is doing as far as seasoning. If you take a patty out and really examine it, you’ll find it has a kind of grayish tone that does make you wonder about the quality of the beef. It seems to approach a suspiciously industrial quality that is often encountered in big-chain burgers.
Three of the burgers feature bacon – the bacon cheeseburger, the bacon double cheeseburger, and the bacon cheeseburger toaster. While the old adage that bacon makes everything better is usually true, you do have to get the bacon right. And SONIC gets bacon really right.
The nice big, meaty strips are just as crispy and curly as good bacon should be. SONIC’s bacon is the real deal, making their three bacon burgers the best on its menu.
Beyond the Burgers
So what else does the SONIC menu have that’s worth reviewing? I’m glad you asked. Keep in mind that this is a franchise, so there can be a good deal of variation from location to location.
When SONIC gets its onion rings right (which isn’t always the case), they are a thing of beauty. The SONIC French fries, however, are no good, I’m sorry to say.
However, if you’re the kind of person who needs potatoes with your meat, you’re not out of luck yet because SONIC has Tots (meaning tater tots – those deep-fried cylinders of grated potatoes you probably remember from elementary school lunches). They’re really quite good – and even better when you get them topped with chili and cheese.
SONIC’s Standout Dogs and Coneys
The surprise story from SONIC is their hot dogs. In a word, they’re awesome. Their chili cheese dog (a grilled 100% beef dog) may very well be the best of all the chains. If you find you like it as much as most do, then you might want to take on the Footlong Quarter Pound Coney (although the coney is not a beef dog). Be forewarned, however, that this dog is HUGE – plenty for two people!
And it’s here in the chain’s hot dog menu that you’ll find more limited-time offers than other parts of the menu.
If you’re daring, you can try something really different, like the Chicago Dog. This is a beef hot dog made with 100% pure beef and topped with pickle relish, tomato, sport peppers, celery salt and mustard all served up in a soft, warm poppy seed bun. With the Chicago Dog, you need to know that the whole sport peppers bring some serious heat to the equation, so be prepared for a runny nose!
SONIC gets this dog right by including all the traditional toppings this style of dog should have. But all those toppings, not to mention the poppy seeds, make this dog a bit of a mess to eat. The peppers want to keep sliding around – don’t attempt to eat this one while driving!
Another one worth trying is the New York Dog. This is another 100% pure beef grilled dog topped with spicy brown mustard, grilled onions and crunchy sauerkraut in a soft, warm bakery bun. Once again, SONIC gets the toppings and condiments right.
You’d never put yellow mustard on a New York Dog – spicy brown only! However, SONIC’s version of brown mustard is not the greatest. In fact, it kind of feels like it’s been diluted with yellow mustard. That would be a big no-no.
The sauerkraut is a must on a New York Dog, but here again, SONIC’s version doesn’t quite stack up. It lacks the tangy zing that sauerkraut should have, as well as any crunch.
In the final analysis, the actual dogs themselves really aren’t the highest quality dogs around, but with all the different toppings you get on the ones I’ve mentioned, it doesn’t really matter.
And that’s definitely the case as well with the most carnival-like offering – the classic corn dog. This is a hot dog dipped in sweet corn batter and fried to a crispy golden brown, served on a stick. And the chain is well-known for frequently offering them at just 50 cents each. If you’ve never had a corn dog, you owe it to yourself to try one at SONIC for a true slice of Americana nostalgia.
At SONIC you can also get dogs in pretzel buns, if you’re into that sort of thing, and I, for one, am all about the pretzel buns.
While SONIC Drive-In menu prices may vary by location, this chain’s menu has some really unique and rather tasty offerings from which to choose. I think the bigger question for me is how the chain succeeds when it’s based on people eating meals in their parked cars. While that may work well for passengers, it’s a real drag for the driver, given that the steering wheel gets in the way of eating in comfort.
Still, for those who go for the whole skating-carhops throwback effect, the SONIC Drive-In menu has plenty to keep your taste buds busy.
You forgot to mention the fact that Sonic Drive-In’s food is nasty.
It is so true about the burgers! I have ordered one burger from Sonic, and was scarred for life. Will never order another one. The patty was grey, literally grey and was only partially cooked. When I tried to send it back they said that is just how their burgers always look!!! I am talking grey like a rain cloud. Disgusting!!
Does Sonic still make Chicago Dogs. I always bought them, but someone said they do not offer them anymore? Please let me know, for I love Portillo’s.
Thank you,
H. Flemming
No, they’ve discontinued them
Our Sonic drive-ins have amazing sodas.. I mean amazing..like Dr Pepper that tastes like it did at a soda fountain years ago.
And the food is awesome. You all must have odd Sonics. lol
I work at Sonic in golden valley az and we are always striving to be better. Our meat is NOT grey and is very good. If you are in our area stop in and order anything off of our menu and I am sure you will enjoy your meal.
It’s grey and 30 % mushroom
Naw our meat doesn’t turn out grey either.
my husband and I are in our late 80s…..go to sonics at least three times a week. love, love love their hot dogs. they are the best. thank you.
I am in my 80’s and enjoy a good hamburger, not greasy and with a delicious bun, not a big bun that takes away the enjoyment of the burger, Sonic has the best buns I have ever had on a hamburger, and the cheese is always melted just right, where some folks go to a nice sit down restaurant, I have enough money to go to a Sonic, 25 miles away to really enjoy my meal, And their Big sodas, Dr Pepper is my favorite is like the old time soda fountain drinks, like more flavor, more of the Dr Pepper taste, delicious, their fries are great, Milkshakes thick and delicious and the special thank you of a mint in the bottom of the bag.. Love Sonic…. Ours is in Yucca Valley in Calif, and the help are so friendly and make you enjoy your visit… Tomorrow I will go get my lunch there again….
I am almost 60 and Sonic is my favorite fast food. It is always hot & fresh, I live in the Aurora No area & I have never had a gray burger patty. Keep up the great work Sonic.
Disappointing as buns …whether hot dog or hamburger..are always COLD. Uck!!!
I am the owner of a sonic and I assure you our meat is not gray nor has it ever been. We season our 100% pure beef with salt/pepper mix, and grill to perfection. All our meat is American, coming from Omaha beef. Our hot dogs are also 100% premium beef also coming from Omaha beef. Any other concerns, don’t hesitate to contact us at http://www.sonicmclain.com.
Do they actually cook their meats? I have never seen a grill or smoke coming out of any kind of stack. And the hamburgers and hot dogs are always lukewarm. I know the tots are cooked and actually good with chili and cheese. The shakes are the best!!!.
Yes we do actually grill our meats, but it’s inside so it’s an electric grill. But yeah you produce wouldn’t see it unless you went in to the back into the kitchen, sorry
Better check now it’s 25% mushroom
I work at sonic, and I’m probably not supposed to say this but yes it is 25% mushroom, but other than that it’s all pure beef. Anybody who has internet can look that up for themselves
I just ate a supersonic cheeseburger and the meat “WAS” grey!
It looks to the point that it may have been boiled somehow.
It was still way better than the other hamburger joints. .
Our dairy Queen is in my opinion the worst if every!
What are the chicken strips ingredients please.
Worst food ever! Bought a cheeseburger and onion rings and would rather eat anywhere else. The cheeseburger was stone cold, the bun was so stale I was looking for mold, the onion rings were not crispy and they too were stone cold! Other members of my family bought hot dogs and every one of those were COLD! YUK to the max! This was not the first time, bought food from the same Sonics before and the food was cold and stale then as well. We only have two fast food places in our little town, and like myself, everyone is now going to the other fast food place (not Sonics). Talk to any of us here, and everyone will tell you the same story (disgusting food). You are losing a lot of money by not improving the quality of food at your Sonics in our town!
Find this very hard to believe. Must be a team member that was fired.
As usual You can’t please everyone! Some people are negative cronic complainers on just about everything! There will always be mixed reviews about products! Remember the old adage “you get what you pay for ”
Our family loves the nostalgic atmosphere
at the Sonic and their food is an tasty for the price point! Complainers will never cease!
Have always loved Sonic until today. We stopped to get a strawberry milkshake and a Reeses blast. Both had “a lot” of gritty substance in them
The new menus are all cheeseburgers. The Only hamburger listed is kids. I don’t like cheese on my burgers because it all taste like cheese. I had to ask if they still make hamburgers without cheese. They said “yes, so you want a cheese burger without cheese?” I Dai no just a hamburger. She read the order back and said “one cheeseburger without cheese” I said ok. Of course they charged me for the cheeseburger. Had the same experience at Freddy’s who have over priced burgers but only cheese on menus. They did take 50cents off for a cheese burger without cheese. I must be only person left who does est cheese on my hamburger. Ain’t going back up either place.
I worked at a sonic and the cheeseburger and hamburger are the same price. Plus half of the burgers don’t have a hamburger option on our ordering screen and our only option is to ring it up as a cheeseburger no cheese ?
They charge you for the same price whether you do or don’t want cheese. I know at the Sonic I work at we have a plain hamburger option.
My kids and I ate it Sonic one time, it was our first time and our last time as it was a scary experience to say the least. This Sonic is in a high-end area of my city called The Stone Oak area in San Antonio and because there are architectural restrictions it is very nice on the outside so as to blend with the aesthetic appeal of the Stone Oak area in San Antonio. However, it’s still a Sonic despite how nice it might look on the outside, with low-quality food, gray meat patties, fake funky colored orangish yellow cheese that pours right out of a can, chili on the hot dogs that looks like Alpo dog food and Frozen onion ring is right out of a box. They claim to use 100% Omaha beef but then they say that it’s 30% mushrooms in their patties to explain the gray color so then that makes it 70% beef and 30% mushrooms. Whatever it is it is extremely low substandard quality food and I will never let it touch my children’s or my palette again.
And no I’m not a disgruntled ex-employee nor am I a chronic complainer like some of the people who left negative reviews.
We rarely if ever have any type of fast food as we cook healthy meals at home or dine at high-end restaurants. This was just a momentary lapse in judgment as we were racing to a practice game one day and needed a quick meal.
I can only imagine the low-quality grease they must cook their food in since it has a very strange aftertaste. Remember you can put lipstick on a pig but it’s still a pig and you can try to make Sonic food tastes descent but it is still low quality food from God knows. Do your family a favor and stay away from all fast food especially Sonic.
Our beef patties ARE 100% beef. The Sonic I work at our patties are NEVER grey, and our onions rings are hand cut and battered EVERYDAY.
I have to say no they are not 100% beef. I have a mushroom allergy and the one in my hometown told me I could not eat anything that come off the grill at any Sonic. They said it was a lawsuit for them. Trust me swollen face and almost closing throat was a hard lesson.
However, Sonic has the best ice in the country. I love their drinks and get them there and in summer hit them up their shakes. They know I’m there every morning for my drink.
I absolutely love Sonic! I read on here they discontinue the Chicago dog which was one of my favorites 🙁 So sad.. but there’s so many other items that are great tasting on the menu. Never had anything cold nasty undercooked or overcooked , always hot and always fresh… Just not enough of them around… Oh! And on the grey meat thing.. I have not seen grey meat there , I wouldn’t have a problem if there is mushroom in it, but they should admit it if there is…
Not to make anyone mad or anything but is it just me or does everything they serve(including lemonades) have bad after taste? I was wondering if it was just me or are y’all do something specific to cause an after taste. Located in middle Georgia.