SONIC DRIVE-IN
Sonic Drive-In franchises quick-service drive-in restaurants offering made-to-order cheeseburgers, chicken entrees, hot dogs, onion rings, tater tots, breakfast items, specialty drinks like cherry limeades and slushes, and ice cream desserts such as SONIC Blast treats. The business model includes Traditional Drive-Ins with carhop service, Drive-Thru Only, Non-Drive-In (e.g., convenience stores), and Non-Traditional locations, plus development agreements for multiple units and multi-brand co-locations with brands like Arby’s or Dunkin’. They target frequent fast-food consumers in a highly competitive quick-service restaurant market.
Franchise Costs
5% royalty + 0.9% brand fee + 3.25% (minimum) advertising cooperative fee + 0.25% technology fee.
Financial Performance
Item 19 Financial Performance
Data Based On: Data based on 3,086 franchised Sonic Restaurants operating for the full 2024 fiscal year, excluding new openings, closures, non-traditional, multi-brand, and company-owned units.
* All revenue figures were extracted directly from the 'Average Unit Volume for 2024 Franchised Traditional Restaurants' and 'Statistics for 2024 Franchised Traditional Restaurants' tables. The document explicitly states in point (5) on page 5 that financial performance representations do not reflect costs of sales, operating expenses, net income, or profit; hence, average_net_income, average_net_profit, average_ebitda, ebitda_margin_pct, best_guess_profit_low, and best_guess_profit_high are set to null.
Extracted Item 19 Section
How SONIC DRIVE-IN Compares
Key Insights
- Higher investment than 95% of Fast Food franchises
- #3 largest franchise system in Fast Food
| Franchise | Investment | Fee | Royalty | Locations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
SONIC DRIVE-IN Current | $1.7M – $3.1M | $15K | 5.0% | 3,441 |
| MCDONALD'S | $1.5M – $2.6M | $45K | N/A | 12,772 |
| AFC | $45K – $151K | $6K | 9.5% | 3,572 |
| JIMMY JOHN'S | $366K – $728K | $35K | 6.0% | 2,647 |
| ARBY'S | $645K – $2.5M | $38K | 4.0% | 2,316 |
| ARBY'S | $645K – $2.5M | $38K | 4.0% | 2,286 |
Fast Food Average 126 franchises | $594K – $1.5M | $35K | 6.1% | – |
* Comparison based on latest FDD filings. Investment ranges from Item 7, fees from Item 5. Showing top 5 of 126 Fast Food franchises by location count.
Locations & Growth
Outlet Growth Over Time
Total outlets at end of each year
Geographic Distribution (2024)
Outlets by state across the United States
+32 more states
SBA Loan History
Historical SBA 7(a) loan data for SONIC DRIVE-IN franchisees (2010 – 2025)
Loans by Year
SBA 7(a) loan activity over time
* Data sourced from SBA 7(a) FOIA loan records. Default rate calculated from charged-off loans.
Franchisee Contacts
3,233 franchisee contacts on file from official FDD filings.
| Name | SBA Loan |
|---|---|
John Smith ABC Franchise LLC | $350,000 2023 · Active |
John Smith ABC Franchise LLC | $350,000 2023 · Active |
John Smith ABC Franchise LLC | $350,000 2023 · Active |
John Smith ABC Franchise LLC | $350,000 2023 · Active |
John Smith ABC Franchise LLC | $350,000 2023 · Active |
3,233 Contacts Available
Unlock all SONIC DRIVE-IN franchisee contacts with verified contact information
Due Diligence
Litigation (Item 3)
Franchisor-initiated suit to collect unpaid fees from a franchisee.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
System Health (Item 20)
Franchise system changes reported in the most recent fiscal year
Frequently Asked Questions
The total initial investment to open a SONIC DRIVE-IN franchise ranges from $1,676,000 to $3,140,900. This includes a franchise fee of $15,000. Ongoing royalty fees are 5.0% of gross sales.
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