Sonic Drive-In

Look, this is fast food. But I give it 5 stars for good reasons:
— Arielle, the food runner, was genuinely polite and courteous, was skilfully able to resolve a food mix up — and quickly!
— the food had been consistently delicious since I began eating here in 1997.
In my personal opinion — this is the highest functioning sonic I’ve eaten at for the past 25 years that I have eaten from this chain.
Thanks

Sonic is great for us after practice, the staff is great here, the food is good and just as described. But wouldn’t the staff earn more in tips if the new electronic system let us customers choose the 10−15−20% option on the screen like other restaurants do?

Y’all know I love a Sonic, so I popped in here for a quick strawberry limeade and a breakfast sandwich as I left Tennessee to head back to NOLA.
My first mistake was ordering the biscuit instead of my usual texas toast. The biscuit was hard and dry and I threw half of it away.
My second mistake was that when I ordered my medium drink; the voice on the intercom said I could get a large for the same price, so of course I did. Which meant that I had to stop and use all the welcome center bathrooms. Oh well I was happy & well hydrated.
This is a really clean spot and I do appreciate that. Probably a 3.5 experience because of my hardtack biscuit but we’ll round up for pleasant personnel.

I have been to this Sonic on multiple occasions and they always seem to have the best service and food out of all the Sonic locations in the area. Their staff is courteous and very much on top of things, and while it can get busy they do their best to please the customer.
We usually stop by for drinks after my fiancée has a late night shift; however, this time we stopped by in the afternoon, a far busier time, for a snack. They were prompt in taking our order and just as fast brining it out, considering they were quite busy. However, what surprised me most was what happened in the car next to mine.
A woman had ordered a drink and shortly after my fiancée and I got there, punched her call button to inquire why it was taking them so long to get her drink to her (she said she had been waiting 10 minutes). I over heard the guy on the speaker apologize and then say the drink would be on the house (this is what you should do anyway but I am glad to see the did it). However, what surprised me is when the car hop came out she apologized profusely to the customer and when the customer said it was all right as they were busy and had a lot of orders to juggle, the car-​hops response was what impressed me. If I remember correctly the car-​hop replied, that regardless of them being busy or not, for them to have forgotten about a customer’s order is not okay.
This same Sonic replaced my fiancée’s burger when they got her order wrong, they put cheese on it, when we asked for mayo only; correcting it with a burger as she asked for with mayo only for free, plus a coupon for a free burger on a future visit. We even got to keep the extra burger, which I ate.
This is how you do customer service.

We have been out of a kitchen for about a week, so we have been eating out more tha normal lately. Appently it has included quite a few trips to Sonic because now whenever we drive by my two year old announces «I’m Hungry» and points to the drive in. The food is fast-​food, completely unhealthy, but the chicken and tots are my daughters favorite, and their milkshakes are pretty good too!

Need a place to relax after a long day and enjoy a decent meal… go elsewhere!
Sonic is marketed as something more than a typical fast-​food experience, it is seen as a fun place where you can pull up with friends, order drinks and food, and enjoy the atmosphere. The sad fact is, the reality is far from the happy-​go-​lucky ad campaigns.
When I pulled up a few days ago I was just looking for a quick spot where I could grab a bite and check email on my phone.
The stalls were clean, the facilities well groomed, and the location wasn’t too crowded. In fact they really weren’t that busy at all.
I parked, turned off my car, rolled down my window, checked the menu, and pressed the button. A very enthusiastic Chris took my order and I paid for it via the easy and convenient debit card terminals installed in each spot. A few minutes later the carhop arrived with my receipt and my food and drink. Everything was good so far and my order was fulfilled properly with no problems. I was a happy customer. Little did I know, I was about to be harassed to the point of leaving.
I thanked the carhop and sent her on her way back inside.
After a few minutes she was back.“Ya doing, ok?” (Yes, I have a pulse and am breathing) «Do you need any ketchup or salt?» (well considering my tots, which you served me two seconds ago, are covered in chili and cheddar cheese already, yeah. I’m good)
Once I had completed the majority of my meal, I turned my attention to my phone. My inbox was needing attention and I wanted to listen to a new podcast. Since I was parked and quite comfortable, I figured this would be a good spot to check them and put my earbuds in. A few minutes passed.
«Are you still doing ok, hun» (ughh, WTF) I looked up with a mouthful of burger and muttered «Yeah.» OK, this is sort of getting annoying. I returned to my food and iphone. Damn I lost my place in the blog I was reading. I rolled up my window. Maybe she would get the idea.
Five minutes or so passed before she, or another one of her cohorts was in front of my car with that red tray full of straws and condiments. «Sir? Are you doing ok? Do you need any…» I didn’t look up.
She raised her voice and repeated, obviously trying to get my attention through my raised window and the earbuds I was wearing. Trying to ignore the carhop, I continued reading on my phone and shot a quick thumbs up at the windshield. She left. At this point I was furious. I started my truck, bagged the rest of my food and headed for home where I could dine in peace.
The point of this story is to point out the contradiction here. Sonic is supposed to be a place where you can get food and hang out. Generally people want to eat in peace without being bugged constantly. If I really need something else, I’ll press the damn button. Thats how the system works. I press button, pay money, and get food/​drink. It’s not a difficult concept.
I don’t know if it is just a management directive that the employees are following that emphasizes turnover. The place wasn’t even that busy. I was maybe one of ten cars in a place that could have easily held 25 or 30. The only thing they are really doing is chasing off customers. To top it off, had I been left alone, I might have actually ordered that root beer float or a shake to go with my burger after the fact. Seriously, SONIC, come on.