We Get A Sonic

From the Green Bay Press.

Skates, waits mark Sonic Drive-In's debut in Green Bay Cars line up for taste of eatery's first day in Green Bay
By Richard Ryman • rryman@greenbaypressgazette.com • November 3, 2009

Richie Plass had a chili dog in his hand and an ear-to-ear smile on his face. Sonic Drive-In was open.

"We're hardcore. We'll be back tomorrow," Plass said.

He and his wife Lily, who live in Green Bay, are Sonic aficionados from their younger days in Oklahoma.

"I grew up on Sonic. When the Appleton store opened, we drove all the way down there," Lily Plass said.

Tim Sparks wasn't surprised.

"We have one of the most loyal consumer bases around. It's almost cult-like," he said.

Sparks, vice president of operations for Twilight Burgers LLC, and Jenny Sparks, his wife and senior director of facilities, were directing traffic Monday to keep the sometimes overflow turnout moving. That's not unusual for a Sonic opening, Tim Sparks said.

Cars were being queued up in the adjacent parking lot of the former Cub Foods store Monday. They weren't there long, though.

"Our ticket times are 2½ to 3 minutes. The lines can be intimidating, but it really doesn't take that long," Sparks said.

Sonic Drive-Ins are distinguished by their carhop service, menu items that include extra long Coney dogs, tater tots, burgers, wraps and 168,894 possible drink combinations. Though the drive-in is sometimes characterized as a burger restaurant, 34 percent of its revenue comes from drinks and ice cream sales, Sparks said.

The Green Bay restaurant at East Town Mall has 23 stalls and half a dozen outside patio tables in addition to the drive-through. There is no indoor seating."
Skates, waits mark Sonic Drive-In's debut in Green Bay | greenbaypressgazette.com | Green Bay Press-Gazette