Sonic Corporation

[Pete]

Not owned by the same people as Buy 4 Less and thus far, there has been no sale or building permits.

[SEMIweather]

Seeing on Twitter that the Sonic at 23rd/Penn closed.

While I'm sure this is due to this Sonic perpetually having terrible service (though the order-ahead app did make a huge difference), I'm (probably irrationally) hoping the land is owned by the same people that own the former Buy 4 Less that is right there and this is related to a sale on that property and that we'll see some movement soon. Don't have the time to research this right now - but hopefully someone knows something!

Never been to this location, but it must have been truly terrible to fail at that intersection. Raising Canes across the street is perpetually packed.

[turnpup]

Odd. It's been 3 years now, but when we lived in Linwood, just a few blocks from the Sonic at 23rd and I-44, I'd drive over to the one at 23rd and Penn because it had much better service and food quality than the one in our neighborhood. But a lot can change in a few years...

[brian72]

Sonic is overpriced and undersized. The place sucks and customer service is a Joke.

[Dob Hooligan]

I work equidistant between 23rd & I-44 and 23rd & Penn. Never had a good experience at 23rd & Penn. Bad service, bad footprint, bad traffic flow, bad neighborhood. Been going to the company owned 23rd & I-44 since it opened in 1978ish. Good service, good layout, good neighborhood. I eat there often and enjoy it.

[MagzOK]

Yes, the location at 23rd and Penn had a horrible layout and was compactly tucked in the parcel of land there. It was very difficult to maneuver around the lot there. In general, I think Sonic needs to undergo an entire rebranding and bring back the things that made them really good back in the day -- bring a new logo with an incorporation of their 1980s supercool logo and bring back their quality ingredients. I remember spending summers at the grandparents farm outside Pawnee and thought it was so much fun to go into town to the local sonic and snag a burger and shake and eat in the gramma's town car. A lot has changed since then.

[stile99]

bring a new logo with an incorporation of their 1980s supercool logo and bring back their quality ingredients. I remember spending summers at the grandparents farm outside Pawnee and thought it was so much fun to go into town to the local sonic and snag a burger and shake and eat in the gramma's town car. A lot has changed since then.

Back when Crossroads Mall was still Crossroads Mall, they had one of those survey places that would send people out into the mall with clipboards for the pre-survey process, and if you met the criteria they took you back to their office and gave you an interview (sometimes with samples of products to try). I recall one time I participated and the survey was about a possible new Sonic logo. My response was that it was horrible, did not feel welcoming AT ALL, and did not fit the pull into a stall and eat in your car concept. Maybe it would be better for a Sonic Express or something.

Soon after that they switched to the "get your food and get out" logo they still use today. Little did I know that the "Express" concept was exactly what they were looking for. The Pickle-Os are long gone, with only the occasional special limited time only return, when you order a malt they tend to forget the actual malt and bring you a shake, and I haven't seen the car window tray in I can't even remember how long (not that I would want to eat there with someone smoking in the next car over anyway). As for the skates? Forget it.

tl;dr: Sonic is no longer Sonic.

[GoThunder]

The Sonic at 23rd/Penn is the closest to our house. I gave up getting food there after a couple tries. It was truck-stop level quality, and the service was always terrible.

[Timshel]

Drove by this morning and there’s a construction sign up. Been told by someone that would know that they’re scraping and rebuilding the store and that this is a corporate-owned store. I suppose this could end up being a positive thing for that location.

[BBatesokc]

Talked to a WalMart employee at the East 15th and I-35 location in Edmond (so take it for what it's worth). They said the Sonic in that location was one of only two-concept locations inside WalMarts. She said the buildout was just over $100,000 and that if the two locations can prove profitable that Sonic would get a contract for 80 more locations inside other WalMarts.

This employee did't think it was going well. She said their hours we not good. She said it also have a much smaller menu than a regular Sonic.

She said the traffic is nowhere near what McDonald's locations inside WalMarts do and she doesn't think the concept will work based on how its being implemented.

I tend to agree. I go to that Walmart regularly and I rarely see more than a couple of people inside the Sonic.

I also tried to use the Sonic app several times at this location to no avail.

I hope it does make it though. I like the look of their buildout and I prefer Sonic to McDonalds.

[Dob Hooligan]

I don’t think any comparison between Sonic and McDonald’s inside WalMart could make sense to the general public. WalMart and McDonald’s both being so huge and famous for driving a “hard bargain” I think the Sonic experiment involves concepts that we mere earthlings couldn’t understand.

[BBatesokc]

Welp, that pilot program didn't last very long. The sonic inside the WalMart in Edmond at East 15th and I-35 has closed. The other pilot Sonic, inside a WalMart (in Muskogee) also closed a couple of months ago.

I'm not surprised at all. I actually liked the idea, but the concept was horribly managed: Rarely opened on time, wasn't connected to the Sonic app for ordering/discounts, food wasn't as good, had very young and immature employees and the new Sonic owners just weren't supportive of the concept initiated by the previous owners.

I was told there is no immediate plans for this vacant spot and that they were going to use it for the overflow of orders placed online for WalMart goods.

[mugofbeer]

Kind of like the Sonic at the sirport.

I'm not sure what some of the poster's expect at Sonic but it's fast food, not a steakhouse. I would have to imagine at lunch rush they can't get enough 2 hour help.

[Richard at Remax]

Probably doesn't help that most of your customers are employees who probably get some sort of discount.

[Pete]

Layoffs yesterday and today at the Bricktown offices.

Exact numbers haven't been released.

[Jersey Boss]

KOCO reports of layoffs at corporate.
Layoffs announced at Sonic headquarters in Oklahoma City
https://www.koco.com/article/layoffs...-city/30727694

[jn1780]

^

They always say that 'things won't change' and they almost always do.

You called it. Glad my friend saw the writing on the wall and got out of there on their own terms.

[chuck5815]

Do we know if they are giving out big packages to those impacted?

[Bunty]

KOCO reports of layoffs at corporate.
Layoffs announced at Sonic headquarters in Oklahoma City
https://www.koco.com/article/layoffs...-city/30727694

That's a downside of capitalism, buying out the competition to become bigger and more efficient. Or if you can't compete against it, buy it.

[mugofbeer]

That's a downside of capitalism, buying out the competition to become bigger and more efficient. Or if you can't compete against it, buy it.

Inspire Brands recently bought SONIC and also owns Arby's and Buffalo WIld WIngs. The 3 types of restaurants are not really competitors but are complimentary to each other. Very little food offered at one restaurant is offered at the other.

It is an unfortunate result of capitalism that when efficiencies can be made within a company, layoffs can happen. It irritates me a little that Inspire had said they would leave the SONIC HQ in OKC pretty much alone when they bought the firm but it is not efficient or a good use of your resources to have duplicate departments such as payroll, HR and accounting.

[CloudDeckMedia]

Three restaurant divisions shared common administrative functions, so of course there were going to be layoffs. I only wish companies would say that in advance, something like, "We will strive to maximize efficiency in this competitive environment, and in the months ahead there may be adjustments in our staffing levels." Yadda, yadda, yadda.

[Pete]

^

Especially because long before a merger or acquisition is made public, there has already been a lot of analysis and a detailed plan drawn.

I know, I was a management consultant and also on the corporate side of a bunch of acquisitions.

Huge investments like this aren't made without a lot of thought and a clear plan made in advance, complete with personnel projections. There may be times when there aren't layoffs in situations like this, but I've never seen it.

[corwin1968]

Inspire Brands recently bought SONIC and also owns Arby's and Buffalo WIld WIngs. The 3 types of restaurants are not really competitors but are complimentary to each other. Very little food offered at one restaurant is offered at the other.

It is an unfortunate result of capitalism that when efficiencies can be made within a company, layoffs can happen. It irritates me a little that Inspire had said they would leave the SONIC HQ in OKC pretty much alone when they bought the firm but it is not efficient or a good use of your resources to have duplicate departments such as payroll, HR and accounting.

I've always received good food at ARBY's and Buffalo Wild Wings so hopefully the new owners will restore Sonic to their former quality levels.

[chuck5815]

I've always received good food at ARBY's and Buffalo Wild Wings so hopefully the new owners will restore Sonic to their former quality levels.

Yeah, I can’t believe people still go to Sonic when you could go to Braum’s or Whataburger and get a vastly superior product. Although I’m sure WB’a new owners will manage to ruin it as well.

[barrettd]

Yeah, I can’t believe people still go to Sonic when you could go to Braum’s or Whataburger and get a vastly superior product. Although I’m sure WB’a new owners will manage to ruin it as well.

My problem with Sonic has always been that it takes so long to get even something as simple as a coke. Doesn't seem to make a difference if I do the carhop service or the drive-thru, it just takes forever to get served. If the food was so much better than anything else, I could see waiting for it, but the food is definitely not worth it.