Sonic Drive-In

Sonic Corporation

Logo since 2020
Sonic's headquarters in Oklahoma City, United States.
Company type	Subsidiary
Genre	Fast food
Founded	June 18, 1953; 71 years ago (1953-06-18), in Shawnee, Oklahoma, U.S. (as Top Hat Drive-In)
Founder	Troy Smith
Headquarters	Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States
Number of locations	3,545 (2025)[1]
Area served	United States
Key people	Paul J. Brown (CEO, Inspire Brands) Jim Taylor (brand president) Paige Bass, (SVP and general counsel) Christina Vaughan (SVP, Sonic Restaurants, Inc.) Eddie Saroch (SVP Franchise Relations) Lori Abou Habib (CMO)
Products	Hamburgers Chicken Sandwiches Hot dogs French fries Soft drinks Soft serves Milkshakes Salads Coffee Breakfast Wraps
Services	Franchising
Revenue	US$5.482 billion (2021)[2] US$4.687 billion (2020)[1]
Operating income	US$127.452 million (2016)[3]
Net income	US$64.067 million (2016)[3]
Number of employees	5,000 (2021)[4]
Parent	Inspire Brands (2018–present)
Website	sonicdrivein.com

Sonic Corp. founded as Sonic Drive-In and more commonly known as Sonic, is an American fast food restaurant founded in 1953 by Troy Smith, under the name Top Hat Drive-In. The owner changed its name to Sonic Drive-In in 1959.^[5] The company has more than 3545 locations in the United States and is currently owned by Inspire Brands, which also owns Dunkin', Arby's, and Buffalo Wild Wings.

The restaurant was founded by Troy Smith in 1953. The headquarters for Sonic is located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. There are 3,561 restaurants in 43 U.S. states which serve approximately 3 million customers per day as of August 31, 2011.^[6][7]

In 2018, the company was acquired by Inspire Brands.

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} "Sonic Drive-In". Restaurant Business. November 1, 2020.
2. ↑ "Sonic Drive-In". www.restaurantbusinessonline.com.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} "2016 Annual Report to Stockholders" (PDF). Sonic corp. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 11, 2016. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
4. ↑ "Sonic Drive-In". www.restaurantbusinessonline.com.
5. ↑ "Sonic Menu with Prices". sonicmenuin. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
6. ↑ "Form 10-K Annual Report". Sonic Drive-In. Archived from the original on 2012-04-24. Retrieved 2014-03-10.
7. ↑ "Sonic menu prices". QSR. Archived from the original on 2024-03-10. Retrieved 2014-07-17.