Why Frederick’s Sonic Feels Like Home For So Many

Before it was bought out, Sonic was a local staple in Oklahoma. Born in Stillwater, the drive-in quickly expanded across the state. Today, just about every town in Oklahoma has a Sonic, and in some small towns, it's one of the few restaurants available. But even though every Sonic has the same menu, not every Sonic locations are the same, especially amongst locals.

Sonic first began in Stillwater in 1950, and remained Oklahoma owned and operated until the company was bought by Inspire Brands in 2018. However, the Sonic corporate office still operates out of Bricktown in Oklahoma City.

The Sonic corporate location didn't stack up to the Sonic in Frederick.

I visited the Sonic corporate office in the summer of 2010 while I was attending E-Week, an entrepreneurship camp hosted by Price College at the University of Oklahoma in Norman. We ventured up to Oklahoma City on day to visit the then Chesapeake Energy and the Sonic headquarters.

We arrived at the Sonic headquarters for a catered Sonic lunch before our tour of the headquarters. I had a cheese burger, which is what I would usually get at my local Sonic in Frederick, however, the cheese burger I was having at the Sonic headquarters was not as good as the one I usually have in my small town. I leaned over to one of my camp friends and whispered to them that the Sonic in my hometown was better than the company's headquarters.

The Sonic representative that day overheard my whisper and asked me directly what made my hometown's Sonic better. I was a bit embarrassed they had heard me, but I confidently told them that my hometown Sonic in Frederick consistently served better food than any other Sonic I had ever visited, including the corporate location I was eating at that day.

Frederick's Sonic was superior because of the people.

They were surprised and intrigued, and asked me what I thought made Frederick's Sonic the best. I told them it was simple, they had great management. The food was always consistent. The carhops were always nice and attentive. And a lot of people in town knew the manager by name, not just because it was small town, but they would consistently be taking orders over the intercoms or be out interacting with customers.

I also told them a story about how my mom visited the local Sonic so much that the carhops would get her Diet Coke ready when they saw her car drive up. And one time, the manager went to Las Vegas and brought my mom back a bedazzled Diet Coke keychain from the Coca-Cola Factory.

And instead of the Sonic rep being offended, they were pleased with my answer, and intended to reach out to the manager of the Frederick Sonic about my kind words and see what they could to do to get other Sonics to operate like the one in Frederick.

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No Sonic has been able to top Frederick's Sonic.

Now that I live in Lawton and have three Sonic locations to choose from, I still have a  hard time finding one better than the Sonic in Frederick. My sister has found one she frequents that makes an adequate sweet tea, but she said it's still nothing like the sweet tea they make at the Sonic in Frederick.

And I haven't tried this yet, but I doubt there's another Sonic that would bring back an old menu item just for me. When I was in high school, I would always order a junior Frito chili cheese wrap after football games. One Friday after a game, I went to Sonic to get my junior Frito chili cheese wrap, and the manager came over the intercom and told me they had been discontinued.

I was distraught but I understood. However, the manager told me to come back after next Friday's game and he should have them back for me. Sure enough, after next Friday's home game, I went to Sonic and the manager was happy to tell me they had junior Frito chili cheese wraps back, just for me.

Junior Frito chili cheese wraps are a staple on the Sonic menu nowadays, thank goodness. But maybe I'll test one of the Lawton Sonic locations and see if they can one-up Frederick by bringing back Xtreme Tots. But I highly doubt I'll ever find a Sonic as good as the one in my hometown.

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