franchisedata.io/brands/sonic-drive-in
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Sonic Drive-In logo

Sonic Drive-In

Top 500 #18Drive-In Burgers & ShakesParent: Inspire Brands
3,412 Units•HQ: Oklahoma City, OK•Est. 1953•Official Website •Verified: Sep 10, 2026 16:53:09 UTC

“This is How We Sonic”

Key Institutional Metrics

Verified commercial performance, store unit economics, and official regulatory disclosures

Systemwide SalesANNUAL
$16.8B
↑+2.5% 3-Yr CAGR

Total annual gross sales across all US franchised & company stores combined.

Source: CA DFPI / FDDFY2025
Total Store Fleet
3,412 Units
92% Franchised•8% Company

Standardized brick-and-mortar store count with verified GPS coordinates.

Source: Brand Directory2026
Store Volume (AUV)
$4.93M
Top 25%: $6.71M

Annual average sales for a single mature franchised store location.

Source: FTC Item 192025
Royalty & CapitalITEM 5/6/7
4.5% Royalty
Ad Fund: 3%

Initial investment: $2.20M – $4.80M.

Source: FDD Item 72025

Executive Intelligence Brief

Official Site

Sonic Drive-In is a private equity enterprise, founded in 1953 and headquartered in Oklahoma City, OK. Ranked #18 in US restaurant systemwide sales, it stands as a premier flagship in the Drive-In Burgers & Shakes category, maintaining a physical footprint of 3,412 store locations (92% franchised). The brand generates an average unit volume (AUV) of $4.93M per store, backed by enterprise in-store technology and multi-platform digital delivery distribution.

Drive-In Burgers & ShakesLimited-Service (LSR)92% Franchised
Ownership StructurePrivate Equity
HeadquartersOklahoma City, OK
Founded1953 (73 yrs)
Executive LeadershipJim Taylor
Live Disclosures & WireContinuous Monitoring Active
Zero material adverse regulatory disclosures in last 90 days. SEC EDGAR and FTC crawlers active.
View Live Wire →

Commercial Index

100% VERIFIED
FDD Item 19 Filing Indexed (2025)
Geocoded Locations3,412 Units
POS ArchitectureNCR
Delivery Multi-HomingDoorDash · Uber Eats
SBA Solvency RatingLow Risk (2.8% default)
API Standardx402 / REST / MCP
View JSON

Three Pillars of Commercial Health

Standardized unit economics based on FDD Item 19 filings and SBA lending solvency benchmarks

Unit Profitability
Tier-1
Average Unit Sales$4.93M
Store EBITDA Margin15.5%
Food & Paper Cost31.5%
Labor Cost Ratio29%
Commercial Economics Insight:Sonic Drive-In maintains standardized unit economics typical of Tier-1 Drive-In Burgers & Shakes franchise networks with disciplined prime cost management.
System Expansion
+2.5% CAGR
Systemwide Sales$16.8B
Net Additions+102 Units
3-Yr Unit CAGR2.5%
International Share8%
Expansion & Scale Insight:Targeted footprint expansion in high-density suburban corridors and digital drive-thru pickup configurations.
Franchisee Solvency
Low Risk
SBA Default Rate2.8%
Capital Payback3.9 Yrs
Agreement Term10 Yrs
Renewal Rate94.5%
Lender Risk & Solvency:Historical SBA loan performance reflects solid debt service coverage (DSCR > 1.35x) across seasoned multi-unit operators.

5-Year Performance & Footprint Trend

Historical progression of total units, average unit volume (AUV), and systemwide sales

$4.14M
2020
$4.49M
2021
$4.73M
2022
$4.88M
2023
$4.93M
2024
2024 Total Fleet3,412 Units
2024 Average AUV$4.93M / yr
2024 System Sales$16.8B

Developer & Agent Endpoint

curl -s "https://franchisedata.io/api/brands/sonic-drive-in/locations?limit=25"

Queries up to 50 store locations with GPS coordinates, POS hardware, delivery links, and operational status. Supports ?state=CA, ?city=..., ?zip=..., ?drive_thru=true.