Sonic Drive-In

          Throughout the 1950s, the drive-in restaurant was a common site all across the USA. Though Bob Wain is credited with the first drive-in back in 1936, a little place that came to be known as Bob’s Big Boy, it was after World War II when they flourished. People could drive up to a speaker, order their food and have it delivered, often on roller skates, where it could be eaten, not so comfortably, in their car.

          There are very few drive-ins left and a piece of the charm of our car generation is now gone. Sonic Drive-In harkens back to those days long ago with a true drive-in restaurant experience.

Founded in the early 1950s as the Top Hat, which at the time was a root beer stand that served hamburgers and hot dogs, the name was changed to Sonic when owner, Troy Smith, learned that the Top Hat name was already trademarked.

           Today there are over 3500 Sonics in 43 states so the odds of you finding one near you is pretty good. The odds of finding them on line are near perfect if you actually click on this link: http://www.sonicdrivein.com/home.jsp;jsessionid=EAF44EE45E754E89AB0893D87B7C053E.sonic-prod

Burgers

           Since it was a very nice day, though a little windy, we opted to sit at one of the tables outside rather than juggle the food in the car. We both ordered the double patty Super Sonic and chose the garden of our liking. And, of course, we both picked tater tots over French fries. Why? Because they’re tater tots.

In all honesty Sonic burgers are decent, as far as a fast food burger goes. They are cooked when you order then and not sitting around in a pan of grease under a warmer to be microwaved when someone decides they want one.

          They are still a fast food burger, though. The meat, though pretty good quality, has been frozen and shipped to the restaurant before being thawed and cooked. That said, they are a large step up from the more famous fast food joints and that alone is one of three reasons to pick Sonic over one of the other chains.

          The second reason is the obvious nostalgia of the drive-in experience. Not all Sonics have their cop hops on roller skates but some do and if you are lucky enough to find one then you truly have fallen into the way back machine with the complete experience.

          But perhaps the most important reason to choose Sonic over one of the big three fast food places is the tots. That’s right, tater tots. Tater tots way outclass fries; end of story.

         We like Sonic and choose it over some of the other places out there. Don’t get us wrong, we’re not comparing this to any of the good local joints we’ve reviewed but sure as hell beats a Big Mac. Check it out for yourself and be sure to order the tots.